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♦ PDF Cover Page ♦

♦ Verso Filler Page ♦
 SECOND EDITION

Three ShUnnp • Sixpence Net

 •

�- - ' --.... - '.'- ""

Tronsfor ers ond Chokes

for the

WILLIAMSON AMPLIFIER
NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY
REPORT

ON TESTS OF TRANSFORMER (Marked: Lab: Output, Series Il)

Tested for: Vortexion Ltd., 257/263 The Broadway, London, S.W.19.

,

,I The series resistance and inductance of the primary The series resistance and inductance ofthe primary

was measured at 50 cycles per second with 5 and 20 and of half the primary winding with the oilier half
winding with the secondary winding opcn-circuitcd, winding with the secondary winding short-circuited,

volts applied. The room temperature was l<'°C. short-circuited were measured at 1,000 cycles per
The results are given in Table 1. second. About 10 volts were applied. The results
are given in Table IL
TABLE I
TABLE 11
Primary Resistance and Inductance
at 50 c/s Resistance and Inductance at 1,000 c/s

(H) Connections Resistance (0.) Inductance (lnH)

1'Ii':�;r�h,,!:�'<In'I' 495
4700 95 5.3
Voltage Resistance (0.) Inductance
5
7900 142 222 5.5
K�1I !'rin...",_ K�U
2. J'ri,,,,,,y .homed.

Date .. 2nd JUlIt, 1951. Reference .. E.475.100.

This Laboratory Model Transformer Series 11 easily permits

6 db more feedback with complete stability than the maximum
of our Series 1 which Mr. D. T. N. Williamson described.

PRICES
Series Il Output Transformers as above ... £7. 7.0
Series I Output Transformers £6. 6.0
Mains Transformers ... £4. 4.0
CHOKES 1O.12H, 150 mA ... £1. ll. 6
CHOKES 30/H, 2e mA £2. 0. 6

Please write for Catalogue WAj5

VORTEXION IJ T I) .
257·263, THEBROADWIIY, WIMBLEDON, LONDON, S.W.l9
Tllepbones: LIBut, 2814 and 6242-3 TdelJ'aml: "VORTEXION. WIlIIIBLE. LONDON'
POTTED COMPOUND FILLED TRANSFORMERS & CHOKES

WODEN Potted components are in constant demand for the

WILLlAMSON AMPLIFIER AND PRE-AMPLlFIER_

note the advantoges

•
•
Made to the author's exact specification.

•
Smart appearance and uniform layout.
Absolute Reliability.

SEND FOR FURTHER PARTICULARS AND COMPLETE CATALOGUE.

WODEN TRANSFORMER [0· LID

I\IIOXLEf ROIlO BIlSTO� STJ\JJS
P H ONE: BllS TO N 41959
J.T.l.

6
The journal for all radio technicians
WIRELESS WORLD is Britain's leading

technical journal devoted to radio, television

anj electronics - its pages providing a

complete and accurate survey of the newest

British techniques in design and manufacture.

Articles of a high standard cover every

phase of radio and allied technical practice,

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design data and circuits for every application

arc published regularly.

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Editorial Advisory Board romposed of

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 The Williamson
Amplifier
A Collection of Articles,

reprinted frolll "Wireless World," 011

"Design for a High-quality Amplifier"

By

D_ T_ N. WILLIAMSON
(formerly of the M.O. Val"c: Company, now
with Ferranti Research Laboratories)

Published for

LONDON: ILIFFE & SONS, LTD.

 The W iIIiamson Amplifier

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 5

Basic Requirements: 7
Alternative Specifications
(April 1947)

Details of Chosen Circuit and Its Performance 11

(May 1947)

NEW VERSION
Design Data: 14
Mod ifications: Further Notes
(August 1949)

Design of Tone Controls and Auxiliary Gramophone Circuits 20

(October and November 1949)

Design for a Radio Feeder Unit 30

(December 1949)

Replies to Queries Raised by Constructors 34

(January 1950)

Modifications for High-impedance Pickups and Long-playing Records 35

(May 1952)

3
 Introduction
Introduced by Wireless World in '947 as merely onc of a series of
amplifier designs, the .. Williamson .. has for several years been widely

accepted as the standard of design and performance wherever amplifier s

and sound reproduction arc discussed. Descriptions of it have been

published in all the principal countries of the world, and so there are

reasonable grounds for assuming that its widespread reputation is based

solely on its qualities.

This hooklet includes all the articles written by D. T. N. Williamson

on the amplifier. Both the 1947 and 1949 versions are reprinted. as the

alternative output transformer ratios cover a wide range of require­

ments. Modifications and additions include pee-amplifier circuits and

an d. unit. with recently published information 011 adaptation to bigb­

impedance pickups and correction for 331 r.p.m. records.

We would stress the importance, if the full potentialities of Hle

amplifier are to be realized, of following the author's recommendations

in detail. Even in the U .S.A., where several modified versions have

been descri bed, many users adhere to the designer's exact specification

with the original valve types. It is not the circuit alone, but the

properties of the valves and such components as the output tnlnsfonner,

together with the welding of theory and p ractice into a rational layout,

which produce the results.

Editor, Wireless World.

,
.'

Basic Design Requirements:
Alternative Specifications
ECENT
R
improvements in the
field of commercial sound
recording havc made prac­
ticable the reproduction of a
wider range of frequencies than
hitherto. The useful range of
shellac pressings has been ex­
tended from the limited 50-8,000
c/s which, with certain notable
exceptions, has been standard
from 1930 until the present, to a
range of some 20-15,000 c/s. This
increase in the frequency range
has been accompanied by an
overall reduction in distortion and
the absence of peaks, and by the
recording of a larger volume range,
which combine to make possible a
standard of reproduction not pre ­ and thcreby transmits intelligence
viously attainable from disc re­
cordings. Further improvements,
notably the subst itution of low­
noise plastic material for the
present shellac composition, are
Likely to provide still f urther
enhanced performance.
The resumptio n of the tclcvision
service with its first-class sound
quality. and the JX>S.<;ible extension
of u.h.£. high-quality trans­
missions, increase the available
sources of high-quality soun d .
Full utilization of these record·
inss and transmissions demands
reproducing equipment with a
standard of performance higher
than that whieh has served in the
past. Extension of the fr equenc y
range, involving the prcs<:nce of
large-amplitude low-frequency sig­
nals, gives greater likelihood of
intermodulation distortion i n the
reproducing system, whilst the
enhanced treble response makes
this type o( di�1.ortion more
readily detectable and undesirable.
Reproduction of sound by elec.
trical means involves the ampli­
fication of an electric al waveform
whi ch should be an exact counter­
part of the air pressure waveform
which constitutes the sound. The
purpose of the amplifler is to
produce an exact replica of the
electrical input voltage waveform
at a power level suitable for the
The Williamson Amplifier
operation of the loudspeaker.
This in turn reconverts the elec·
trical waveform into a corres­
ponding sound pressure waveform,
which in an ideal system would
be a replica of the original.
The perfor m ance of an amplifier
int ended to reproduce a given
waveform is usually stated in
terms of its ability to reproduce
accurately the frequency com­
ponents of a mythical Foutier
analysis of the waveform. While
this method is convenient and
indeed corresponds to the manner
in which the mechanism of the
car analyses sound pressure wave­
forms into component frequencies
to the brain, the (act that the
function of the s),stem is to repro­
duce a waveform and not a band
of frequencies should not be
neglected. Sounds of a transient
nature having identical f requency
contents may yet he very different
in char acter, the discrepancy being
in the phase relationship of the
component frequencies.
The requirements of such an
amplifier may be listed as :-
(1) Negligible non-linear dig·
tortion up to the maximum rated
output. (The term " non- linear
distortion" includes the produc­
tion of undesired harmonic fre·
quencies and the intermodulation
of component frcquencies of the
sound wavc. ) This requir� that
the dynamic output/input char­
acte ristic be line.."l.r within close
limits up to maximum output at all
freque ncies within the au dible
range.
(2) (a) Linear frequency re·
sponse within the audible fre·
quency spectrum of 10-20,000 C/S.
(b) Constant power handling
capacity for negligible non-linear
distorti on at any frequency within
the audi ble frequency spectrum.
This requirement is less strin­
gent at the high-frequcncy end of
the spectrum, but should the
maximum power output/frequency
response at cither end of the
7
spectrum (but especially, at the
low frequency end) be substan­
-
tially less than that at medium
freq uencies, filters must be
arrange d to reduce the level of
these frequcncies be/ore they reach
the amplifier as otherwise severe
intermo dul ati on will occ ur
. This
is especially noticeable during the
reproduction of an organ on
incorrectly designed equipment
where pelial notes of the order of
16-20 c / s cause bad distortion,
even though they may be in­
audible in the sound output.
(3) Negligible phase shift with­
in the audible range. Although
the phase relationship bctweell
the componcnt frcquencies of a
complex steady-state sound ooes
not appear to affect the audible
quality of the sound, the same is
not true of sounds of a tra nsien t
nature, the quality of which may
be profoundly altered by disturb­
ance oC the phase rel at ionsh ip
between c omponent frequenc ies .
(4) Good transient response. In
addition to low phase and fre·
quency distortion, other factors
which arc essential for the accu­
rate reproduction of transient
wave-forms arc the elimination of
c hanges in effective gain due to
current and voltage cut-off in any
stages, the utmost care in the
de sign of iron-cored components.
and the re duct ion of the n umber
of such components to a minimum.
Changes in effective gain during
" low· fr equency " transients occur
in amplifiers with output stages
of the self·biased CIa.'iS AB type,
causing serious distortion which
is not revealed by steady-state
measurements. The transient
causes the current in the output
stage to ris e. and this is followed,
at a rate detennined by the time
constant of the biasing network,
by a rise in bias voltage which
alters the effective gain of the
amplifier .
(5) Low output resistance.
This requirem ent is concerned
with the attainmcnt of good

"
,
�V
/
INPUT
(a)
Fig. I. Output/input characteristics (a) without
f�dback (b) with negative feedback.
frequency and transient response
from the loudspeaker system by
ensuring that it has adequate
electrical damping. The cone
movement of a moving-coil loud­
speaker is restricted by air loading,
suspension stiffness and resistance,
and electro-magnetic damping. In
the case of a baffle-loaded loud­
tiipeaker, the efficiency is rarely
higher than 5-10 per cent, and the
air loading, which determines the
radiation, is not high. In order tion of the component signal
to avoid a high bass-resonance
frequency, the suspension stiffness
in a high-grade loudspeaker is
kept low, and obviously the power
10tifI in such a suspension cannot
be large. Electra-magnetic damp­
ing is therefore important in
controlling the motion of the cone.
This effect is proportional to the
current which can be generated
in the coil circuit, and is therefore
proportional to the total resistance
ing will be achieved when the coil
of the circuit. Maximum damp­
is effectively short-circuited, hence
the output resistance of the loudspeaker damping.
amplifier should be much lower
than the coil impedance.
(6) Adequate JX1wer reserve.
The realistic reproduction
orchestral music in an average
room requires peak power capa­
bilities of the order of 15-20
watts when the electro-acoustic
transducer is a baffle-loaded spectrum.
moving-coil loudspeaker system
of normal efficiency. The use
of horn-loaded loudspeakers may
reduce the power requirement to
the region of 10 watts.
The Output Stage
An output of the order of 15-20
watts may be obtained in onc of
three ways, namely, push-pull
triodes, push-pull triodes with
negative feedback, or push-pull
tetrodC5 with negative feedback.
The Williamson Amplifier
The salient fea­
tures of these
methods are of
interest.
Push-pulltriodc
IMPUT
valves without
the refinement of
negative feed­
back form the
mainstay of pre-
sent-day high-
(b) fidelity equip-
ment. A stage of
this type has a
number of dis­
advantages. With reasonable
efficiency III the power stage
.
such an arrangement cannot be
made to introduce non-linearity to
2-3
an extent less than that represen­
ted by about per cent
harmonic distortion. The output/
input characteristic of such a stage
is a gradual curve as in Fig.
1 (a). With this type of characteris­
tic distortion will be introduced at
all signal levels and intermodula­
frequencies will occur at all levels.
The intennodulation with such a
characteristic is very considerable
and is responsible for the harsh­
ness and "mushiness" which
characterizes amplifiers of this
type. In addition, further non­
linearity and considerable inter­
mcxiulation will be introduced by
the output transformer core.
If the load impedance is chosen
to give maximum output the
load impedance/output resistance
2, which is insufficient for good
ratio of the amplifier will be about
It is difficult to produce an
adequate frequency response char­
acteristic in a multi-stage ampli­
of fier of this type as the effect of
multiple valve capacitances and
the output transformer primary
and leakage inductances becomes
serious at the ends of the a.f.
The application of negative feed­
back to push-pull triodes results
in the more or less complete sol­
ution of the disadvantages out­
lined above. Feedback should
be applied over the whole am­
plifier, from the output transform­
er secondary to the initial stage as
this method corrects distortion
introduced by the output tran!'>­
fonner and makes no additional
demands upon the output capabili­
ties of any stage of the amplifier.
S
The functions of negative feed­
back are:-
(a) To improve the linearity
of the amplifier, and output
transformer.
(b) To improve the frequency
response of the amplifier and
output transformer.
(cl To reduce the phase shift
in the amplifier and output trans­
former within the audible fre­
quency range.
(d) To improve the low-fre­
quency characteristics of the out­
put transformer, particularly
defects due to the non-linear
relation between flux and magne­
tizing force.
(e) To reduce the output
resistance of the amplifier.
(/) To reduce the effect of
random changes of the para­
meters of the amplifier and supply
voltage changes, and of any
spurious defects.
A stage of this type is capable
of fulfilling the highest fidelity
requirements in a sound repro­
ducing system. The output/input
characteristic is of the type shown
in Fig. 1 (b), and is virtually
straight up to maximum output,
when it curves sharply with the
onset of grid current in the out­
put stage. Non-linear distortion
can be reduced to a degree repre­
sented by less than o. I per cent
harmonic distortion, with no
audible intermodulation. The
frequency respon� of the whole
amplifier from input to output
transformer secondary can be
made linear, and the power
handling capacity constant over
a range considerably wider than
that required for sound reproduc­
tion.
The output resistance, upon
which the loudspeaker usually
depends for most of the damping
required, can be reduced to a
small fraction of the speech coil
impedance. A ratio of load im­
pedance/output resistance (some­
times known as "damping fac­
tor") of 20-30 is easily obtained.
" Kinkless" or "beam" out­
put tetrodes used with negative
feedback can, with care, be made
to give a perfonnance midway
between that of triodes with and
without feedback. The advantages
to be gained from the use of
tetrodes are increased power effi­
ciency and lower dri ve voltage
requirements.

It must be emphasized that the
characteristics of the stage are
dependent solely upon the char­
acter and amount of the negative
feedback used. The feedback
must remain effective at all
frequencies within the a.f.
spectrum under all operating con­
ditions, if the quality is not to
degenerate to the level usually
associated with tetrodes without
feedback. Great care must be
taken with the design and opera­
tion of the amplifier to achieve
this, and troubles such as parru,itic
oscillation and instability arc
liable to be encountered.
When equipment has to be
operated from low-voltage power
supplies a tetrode stage with
negative feedback is the only
choice, hut where power supplies
are not restricted, triooes arc
preferable because of case of
operation and certainty of results.
It appears then that the design
of an amplifier for sound reprO­
duction to give the highest possible
fidelity should centre round a
push-pull triode output stage and
should incorporate negative feed­
back.
The most suitable types of valve
for this service are the PX25
and the KT66. Of these the KT66
is to be preferred since it is a
more modern indirectly+heated
type with a 6.3-volt heater, and
will simplify the heater supply
problem. Triode-connected it has
characteristics almost identical
with those of the PX25.
Using a supply voltage of some
440 volts a power output of 15
watts per pair may be expected.
The Output Transformer
The output transformer is prob­
ably the most critical component
in a high-fidelity amplifier. An
incorrectly designed component
is capable of producing distortion
which is oftcn mistakenly attribu­
ted to the electronic part of the
amplifier. Distortion prodllciblc
directly or indirectly by the
output transformer may be listed
as follows :-
(a) Frequency distortion due
to low winding inductance, high
leakage reactance and resonance
phenomena.
(b) Distortion due to the phase
shift produced when negative
feedback is applied across the
transformer. This usually takes
The Williamson Amplifier
the form of parasitic oscillation
due to phase shift produced in the
high frcquency region by a high
leakage reactance.
(cl Intermodulation and har­
monic distortion i n the output
stage caused by overloading at low
frequencies when the primary
inductance is insufficient. This is
primarily due to a reduction in
the effective load impedance below
the safe limit, resulting in a very
reactive load at low frequencies.
This may cause the valves to be
driven beyond cut-off since the
load ellipse will tend to become
circular.
(d) Harmonic and intermodula­
tion distortion produced by the
non-linear relation between flux
and magnetizing force in the core
material. TillS distortion is always
present but will be greatly aggra­
vated if the flux density in the
core exceeds the safe limit.
(el Harmonic distortion intro­
duced by excessive resistance in
the primary winding.
The design of a practical trans·
former has to be a compromise
betwccn these conflicting require­
ments.
At a low frequency Ib' such that
the reactance of the output trans­
former primary is equal to the
resistance formed by the load
resistance and valve a.c. resist­
ances in parallcl, the output
voltage will be 3db below that at
medium frequencies. At a fre­
quency 3/b the response will be
well maintained, the transformer
reactance producing only 200phase
angle. Similarly at the high
freq llency end of the spectrum the
response will be 3db down at a
frequency It such that the leakage
reactance is equal to the sum of
the load and valve a.c. resistances.
Again at a frequency It/3 the
c
B
A
ALTERNATlNC EXCITATION VOLTAGE
Fig. 2. Variation of iron-cored
inductan«; with a,c. excitation.
9
response will be well maintained.
If then the required frequency
range in the amplifier is from
10-20,000 eIs, fb may be taken as
3.3 cls and It as 60 ke/s. A tram;·
former which is only 3db down at
frequencies as widely spaced as
these would be difficult to design
for some conditions of operation.
and where this is so the upper
limit may be reduced, Uti the
energy content of sound at thes:!
frequencies is not usually high­
The limiting factor will be the
necessity of achieving stability
when feedback is applied across
the transformer, i.e., that the loop
gain should be less than unity at
0
reaches 180 .
frequencies where the phase shift
To illustrate the procedure,
consider the specification of an
output transformcr coupling two
push-pull KT66 type valves to a
15-ohm loudspeaker load_
Primary load impcdance= IO,OOOD:
J 8
Turns rat10=
" IO,OOO
'5
___ = 25. :1
= 25000
Effective a.c. resistance o f valves
Low-frequency Response
Parallel load and valve resist-
2500 X 10,000
=
ance = 2oo0D:
12,500
Ib 3·3 c/S(wb�21) response
=
should be 3db down.
Primary incremetllal inductance
2000
L � -- =95 H,
"
fligh-frequency Response
Sum of load and a.c. resistance:;
= 10,000 + 2500
= 125°0 n
At I, = 60 kc/s (Wj = 376,000.)
response should be 3db down.
12,500
Leakage reactance =
�
33
= mHo
A 20-watt transformer having 10
primary and 8 secondary sections
and using onc of the bettec grades
of core material can be made to
comply with these requirements.
Winding data will be given in an
appendix (see page 11).
Some confusion may arise when
specifying an output transformer
as the appar . ent inductance of
the windings will vary greatly
with the method of measurement.
The inductance of an iroll-cored

Fig. 3. Block diagrams
of
component is a. function of the
excitation, the varia.tion being
of the form shown in Fig. 2. The
exact shape of the curve is
dependent on the magnetization
characteristic for the core material .
corresponding to point C o:.;curs
The maximum in(lucbnce,
when the core material is nearing
saturation and is commonly 4-6
times the "low excitation" or
"incremental' value at A, which
corresponds to operation near the
origin of the magnetization curve.
]n a correc1.ly designed oUlput
transformer the primary induct­
ance corresponding to the voltage
50 cls will lie in the region of B
swing at maximum output at
in Fig. 2.
III spccifying the component,
the important value is the incre­
mental illducta!ICe corresponding
to point A, since this value deter·
mines the frequency response at
low outputs.
phase Shift
The reduction of phase shift in
amplifiers which arc to operate
with negative ffcdback is of
prime importance. as instahility
The Williamson Amplifier
(,)
OtJTPUT
STAi;E
(c)
ci rcuit arrangements discussed
in the text.
of 1800 occur at a frequency where
will reauIt, should a phase shift
t.he vector gain of the amplifier
and feedback network is greater
than unity. The introduction of
more than one t.ransfonner into
the feedback path is likely to
give risc to troublc from insta­
bility. As it i� desirable to apply
feedbaek over the output tran!l­
former the rest of the amplifier
should be R-C coupled.
Alternative Circuits
Although the amplifier may
contain push-pull stages it is
desirable that t.he input and output
should be "single ended" and
have a common earth terminal.
Three circuit arrangements suggest
themselves.
The block diagram of Fig. 3 (a)
shows the simplest circuit arrange­
ment. The output valves are
preceded by a phase splitter
which is driven by the first stage.
The feedback is taken from the
output transformer secondary to
the cathode of the first stage.
This arrangement is advantageous
in that the phase shift in the
amplifier can easily be reduced
>0
to a low value as it contains the
minimum numhcr of stages. The
arrangement, however, has a
number of disadvantages which
render it unsuitable. The input
voltage required by the phase
splitter is rather more than can
be obtained frolll the first stage
for a reasonable distortion with
the available h.t. voltage, and in
addition the phase splitter is
operating at an unduly high level.
The gain of the circuit is low even
if a pentode is used in t.he first
stage, and where it low�impedance
loudspeaker system is used. in·
sufficient feedback voltage will
be available.
The addition of a push-pull
driver stage to the previous
arrangement, as in Fig 3 (b).
provides a solution to most of thc
difficulties. Eaeh stage then works
well within its capabilities. The
increa&.d phase shift due: to the
extra stage has not been found
unduly troublesome provided that
suitable precautions are taken.
The functions of phase splitter
and push-pull driver stage may
be combined in a self-balancing
" paraplJase" circuit giving tl:c
arrangement of Fig. 3 (c). The
grid of one drive valve is fed
directly from the first stage, the
other being fed from a resistance
network between the anodes of
the driver valves as shown in
Fig. 4. This arrangement forms
a good alternative to the preceding
onc where it is desirable to use the
minimum number of valves,
I---�HI- OUTPUT
�WV--r'ww+--l'1-
c
R
Fig. 4. " Paraphase"
circuit
combining the functions of
phase splitter and push-pull
driver stages.
 The Williamson Amplifier

Details of Chosen Circuit

and Its Performance
THE consider ation s under­
lying the de sign of a h igh ­
quality amplifier were dis­
cussed in the first part of th i s
article. A circu i t of the complete
amplifier is shown in Fig. 5. This
foll ows the basic a rrangemen t of
Fig. 3(b). The des ig n of the indi­
keep the ph ase shift in the ampli ­ spli t ter g rid . Due to the cathode­
fier at low frequencies as small as follower action of V, t he operating
possible the first stage has been conditions arc not critical and no
directly coupled to the phase trouble is likely to be encountered
el i min atin g one R·C from normal changes in valve
splitter,
coup lin g . The first two stages are parameters. calhode
resistor of V" t o
The bias
thus des igned as a single entity.
which feedback
The phase-splitfer section, which is applied from the outpllt tra ns ­

vidual sta ges will not be treated
i n detail, but a review of the
s<tlient features may be of value.
As a measure of standardization
an valves except those of the out­
pu t stage ar e type L63, triodes of
about 8,ooo ohms a.c. resistance.
Initial Stages.-In order to
consists of a triorle with equal forIller secondary, is .kept a.s small
loads in anode and cathode cir­ us p racticab l e to av oid gain reduc­
tiOll ill the first l>tage, due to series
cuits, operates partly as a cathode
follower, its grid being some 100 V feedback.
pos i tiv e with respect to chassis. Driver Stage_-The ontpu t from
The anode of the first triode is also the phase-splitter is taken to the
arran g ed to be about 100 V pos i ­ push-pull driver stage. Provision
tive and is coupled to t he pha se- is ma.de for var yin g the load rc-

Fis.5. Circuit diagram of complete amplifier. Voltages umrerlin!d are peak signal vcltages at IS watts output.

CIRCUIT VALUES

I MO t watt ± 20 per n iwatt ± 20 por ('cnt

R2 aa,ooo n I watt ± 20 Sill' 600 V, wkg.
R) cent 1.000 c, 8 !.F 550 V, wkg.
Joo n I watt ± 20
47,000 n I watt ± 20 :lO H at 20 lOA (min.)
" C,
100 n 2 watt wirc-
H,,,, IQ II at 100 mA (min.)
U" CH,
470nlwatt:l:10 .. wound v-ariable. CH,
n5• RG• R7 22,000 n 1 watt ± 10
Ra, Rg Seeondarv <!25·0-<!25 V.
.. 1[;0 n 3 WlItt ± 20 " Power tran�formcr.
0.47 MO: i Wi\tt ± 20
"

l;)() mA ( in.) 5 V. 3A,G.a

100 n i watt ± 20 ..
390 n i watt ± 10 m
39,000 0: 2 watt ± 10 V. 4A, c.t.
ItJ{) "
Rn. R13
1,200v'spcecil coil impedance,

R12 25,000 0 1 watt wire-

..
S "V 450 \', wkg.
! wntt.

0.05 p.l' 350 V, wkg.

Lo3

Ra, RIll 0.1 MO i watt ± 20 ..

wound variabltl.
9.2;) pJo' ;w> V. wkg_
KTOO.
1152

"
 The Witliamson Amplifier

,.

"

- ,
0

•
•

,
-
-
•
,
WITHOUT fE(DUC� �
:; WITH FEEDSAC�
-
•
,
>

•
> ,.
...
•
., •

�
•

" ,. "
IMPUT VOlTS (� .. s.)
.

Fig. 6. Input-output characteristic and harmonic

distortion curves, with and without feedback.

(Right)-
Oscillograms of input-output characteristic ; left-hand

feedback. (I) At 300 c/s with slight overload (2) At 300

column, without feedback; right-hand column, with

eIs, output voltage 15% below maximum, (3) and (4)

Conditions as in (1) and (2) respectively, but at 30 e/s.

sistors of this stage which, in COll­
junction with a common unby­
passed cathode bias resistor.
allows a considerable range of
adjustment to be made in the
drive voltagcs to the output valves
to compensate for any inequality
in gain.
Output S tage. The balance of
- Winding data for a suitable
impedance that by series-parallel
arrangement a number of suitable
load impedances may be provided
utilizing all the sections of the
transformer. A suitable value of
impedance is 1.7 ohms per sec­
tion, giving alternatives of 1.7,
6.8, 15.3, 27 ohms, etc.
specified no trouble should be ex­
perienced from instability due to
the effects of unintentional posi­
tive feedback. Should instability
arise it will probably appear as
oscillation at a supersonic fre­
quency. This may be transient,
occurring only at some part of the
cycle when the amplifier is oper­

c.."tuSC may bc bad layout or an

quiescent anode current in the
output stage is a matter of some
importance, as it alTects the per­
formance of the output trans­
former to a marked degree . In
this amplifier, provision is made,
by means of a network in the
cathode circuits of the KT66
valves, for altering the grid bias
of each valve, giving complete
control of the static conditions of
the stage. A feature of this
arrangement is that the valves
operate with a common unby­
passed cathode bias resistor,
which assists in preserving the
balance of the stage under
dynamic conditions.
Output Transfonner. The -
turns ratio of the output trans­
former will be determined by the
impedance of the loudspeaker
load. It is convenient to make
each secondary section of such an
transformer are gi ven in the
Appendix.
Negative Feedback Network._
The design of this amplifier is such
that no difficulty should be experi­
enced in U1e application of nega­
tive feedback up to a maximum
of some 30 db. Provided that the
threshold of instability is not
reached, the benefits of negative
feedback increase as the amount
of feedback is increased, at the
sole expense of loss of gain, but
there will be little if any audible
improvement to be gained with
this amplifier by increasing the
amount of feedback beyond 20db.
The feedback network is a
purely resistive potential divider,
the bottom limb of which is the
cathode bias resistor f)f the first
stage.
With component values as
<2
ated near maximum output. Its
output transformer with a higher
leakage reactance than specified,
or it may be due to resonance in
the output transformer.
A remedy, which should only
be used as a temporary measure,
is to reduce the high-frequency
response of one of the amplifier
stages, so reducing the loop gain
at the frequency of oscillation to
a value below unity. This may
conveniently be done by connect­
ing a small capacitor (s.."\y 200 pF)
in series with a 5,000 n resistor
from the anode of VI to chassis.
Performance
Linearity.-Thc linearity of the
ampli.fier is well illustrated by the
series of oscillograms. These show
that, up to maximum output, the
linearity is of a high order, and

that the overload characteristic is
Fig . I(b) in the previous Issue.
of the desirable type shown in
The improvement due to the
application of negative feedback,
especially at low frequencies. is
clearly demonstrated by the
oscillograms.
Equipment for measuring inter­
modulation products was not
total
available, but measurement of the
harmonic distortion was
made with an input frequency of
400 c I s. The result is shown in
Fig. 6, from which it will be seen
that the harmonic distortion at
maximum rated output (15 watts)
is less than 0 . 1 per cent. Inter­
modulation. with this degree of
linearity. is not present to an
Frequency Response.-Thc fre­
audible degree.
quency response of the amplifier
is greatly dependent upon the
characteristics of the output trans­
fonner. In the amplifier tested,
the output transformer had a
resonance at about 60 kc / s which
caused a sharp dip of 2.6db
around this frequency. The char­
acteristic within the audible range
from 10-20,ooo c / s is linear with­
n
i o . 2 db.
Phase Shift_-The excellence of
the frequency response charaeter-
+I
db
"
I
8
0 0
fREQUENCY IN CYClES
Frequency response (without feedback) of 20 watt output trans­
Fig. 7.
former described in appendix.
resistance 1.7n. Measured with SV r.m.S. on primary. At higher
excitations the bass response improves progressively up to saturation.
(a) Input waveform, 300 c/s. (b) Output wavefonn with feedback and
slight overload. (c) Output waveform with feedback but output voltage
15% below maximum.
The Williamson Amplifier
i tic indicates that little phase
8 supported th� ml::'<1sured pt'rform­
shift is present. Phase shift is only
apparent at the extremes of the
a.£. spectrum and never exceeds a
few degrees.
Output Resistance.-The out­
put resistance of the amplifier is
0.5 ohms measured at the Is-ohm
output terminals.
Noise Level.-In the amplifier
tested, the measured noise level
was 85 db below maximum output.
The noise i n this amplifier was,
however, almost entirely s o c / s
hum, caused by coupling between
the mains and output trans­
formers. By more careful ar­
rangement of these components it
appeared that the noise level
could be reduced to better than
lOodb below maximum output.
If desired, the power output of
the amplifier may be increased
beyond IS watts by the use of
several pairs of output valves in
parallel push-pull. The output
transformer, power supply and
back resistor R.. will require to
bias arrangements, and the feed­
he modified. Amplifiers of this
design with power outputs up to
70 watts have been produced.
Listening tests carried out in
conjunction with a wide-range
loudspeaker system havc fully
0
HR SECOND
Generator resistance 2,5000 load
'3
ance. No distortion can be de­
tected. even when the amplifier is
reproducing organ music includ­
ing pedal notes of the 20 (,, / S order.
maximum output. Transient8 are
which reach the threshold of
reproduced with extreme fidelity;
circuit with noises such as j ingling
tests using a dircct microphone
keys reveal extraordinary realism.
The amplifier can be de!;Cribed
as virtually perfect for sound­
reproducing channels of the high­
est fidelity. It provides an ideal
amplifier for sound-recording pur­
poses, where " distortionless ..
amplification and low lIoise level
art: of prime importance.
APPENDIX.
Output Transrormer.
Specification .
Primary load impedance
=
10,000 ohms c.t.
Secondary load impedance
1.7 ohms per sec-
=
tion.
= 76 : I .
Primary inductance= 100 H
Turns ratio
(min.)
Leakage inductance= 30 mH (max.)
Winding. Data.
COre: �lin 5tack of Pattern No.
�8A .. Super Silcor " laminations
(.\'lagnetic and EIt:ctrical Alloys,
Burnbank, J lamilton, Lanarks).
The winding consists of two
wide. wound Oil liin x I l i n pax01in
identical interlcaved coih. each Ilin
formcf';. On each former i!; wound:
5 primary sections each c()n!;i�tin�
of 5 layer.; (8B turns per layer)
of 30 s.w.g. enamelled copper wire
nating w ith 4 secondary sections.
interleaved with 2 Illil . paper, alter­
each cOllsi�ting of 2 layers (29 turns
per layer) of 19 s.w.g. enum. copper
wire, interleaved with :l mi l. p;ll�r.
llI�ighbour5 by ;.I layers of 5 mil.
Each section is insulated Jrom it�
Empire tape. All connections are
i ng. but the primary section!; may lJe
brought out on one side of the wind­
connected in series when winding.
only two prilllury connec;tioll!; per
coil being brought out.'"
Measured Performance.
Primary inductance = 100 H.
(measured at 50 ers wit h .'i-V r.m.s.
on primary, equivalent to �.5 mW)
Leakage inductance = 2� mHo
(measured at 1,000 cts)
Primary resistance
= �50 ohms.
.. Secondary cQ1mectio"sfor different
ratios tue given in the Table OH p.17.
 The WiIliamson Amplifier

The New Version

Design Data : Modifications: Further Notes
INCE the publication in the amplifier, and in subsequent adjustment. Accordingly, revised
April and May, 1947. issues
auxiliary equipment to form a for resistors Rs' RI' RIL and RIJ "
articles to present the design of values and tolerances are shown
S of Wireless World of an am­
A transiti onal phase-Shift net­
work consisting of R•• and Cu­
plifier design suitable for high­ domestic sound-reproducing in­

was previ ollsly

quality reproduction of sound.
correspondence bas revealed that
a morc complete explanation of
some of the features of the design,
with the addition of some informa­
stallation.
Circuit Diagram. The list of
component values are printed
again. These differ in minor detail
from the originals . In tile circ uit
which recom­
mended as a temporary measure,
has been added as a permanent
stability at high f requencies . This
feature to increase the margin of

meter, RIl• was provided in the

tion about construction, would be
of interest. The correspondence
also shows that considerable de­
mand cxlsts for a pre-amplifier
unit to enable the amplifier to be
used in conjunction with gramo­
phone pickups and microphones 01
low output. In the present article
it is proposed to deal witb the
previollsly printed a potentio­
penultimate stage to enable the
signal to be balanced . Due to the
use of common unbypassed
cathode resistors for the push-pull
self-balancing to signal, and it is
stages, the amplifier is largely
permissible to dispense with this
will be discu ssed later when the
stability of the ampli fier is con­
sidered.
Finally, an indirectly - heated
rectifier has been substituted as
this p!"cvenls a damaging voltag£'
surge when the amplifier is
switched all. No suitable type was

'.0

Fig. 1_ Circuit diacram of complete amplifier. Voltages underlin� are peak s:gnal voltages at IS watts output.

Rn, R2(J 1.0000

R, IMO J watt ± 20% H.u, RII,O.BHl J watt ± 10% Cs, C1 0.2SI'F 350V wkg.

",
I{.I&, R l8 1000
i 600V wkg.
c"
33,OOOn
I watt ± 20% watt ± 20,% C, 81'F

". 200pr'
47,OOOn
1 watt ± 20% 1 watt. ± 20% =;OV wkg.
a.
t watt ± 10%
RI?' R2IlOOO 2 watt. wirewound CH, 30H at 20mA
R, 4-iOn
R" R7 22,0000 1 watt ± 5%
variable at 150mA
T
CIll! lOll
R" 1500 3 watt ± 20%
.. od)
t watt ± 20%
ma.teI H Power transformer
R. I
(or
R�3. Ru lOOn
R26
22,0000 wlllt ± 20% Secondary 4.25_0_42.'lY 150 Ill."-. aY. 3A,
R•• R. 0.47Mn
1,200 V lpee<:b coil impedanOt
;I watt ± 20,% 6.3V 4.-\., oollt.re-tappod
±
-i wa.tt (see tabla)
VI> V2 2 x L63 or 6J5, GSN7 or BM
V3, V.
R" 3!lOO i watt 10%
500V wkg.
R"
Cl' O2, C6• Cs S/,l<'
4,700n t watt ± 20%
Ru,Ru 47,OOOn 2 watt ±
"7 Coasor 53K U,
5% do. do.
(ur matchro) C3• C. 0.05/,F 350V wkg. '-a, Ve KT66 5V4

'4
 The Williamson Amplifier

>0 -
1-- - III t-
" Wll
I
tI
0
/

"
/
,
.= !��t:�:H �:����(ri���(K
- , ,
/
"
-
,

H
0 -
I
-
00 I
00p-
-
I
- § §

Fig. 2. Loop gain and phase-shift characteristics of the amplifier.

available when the circuit was

originally published. A list of
alternative valve types is also
shown.
Amplitude and Phase I fre-
quency Response. A curve show­
ing the transmission and loop
gain of the amplifier at frequencies
between I c l s and I Mc I s is shown
in Fig. 2 . Although only the sec·
tion between lO e / s and 20,ooo c / 5
is useful for sound reproduction,
the curves outside this range are
included as they may be of in­
terest to those who may wish to
use the amplifier for other pur­
poses. They may also serve to
emphasize that. in a feedback
a.mpl:ifier, the response must be
carefully controlled at frequencies
very remote from the uselul ra.nge
if stability is to be achieved.
General Constructional
The layout of the amplifier is not
critical, provided that a few
simple precautions are observed.
Many different arrangements have
been used S<1.tisfactorily to suit
differing circumstances. An ex­
cellent plan is to construct the
power supply and the amplifier on
separate chassis, as this gives
greater flexibility in accommo­
dating the equipment in a cabinet.
The f 0 1 1 0 w i n g precautions
should be observed : -
1 . The output transformer core
should be positioned at right
angles to the cores of the mains
transformer and the main smooth­
Fig. 3. Suggested
layout of principal
components of com­
bined amplifier and
power pack.
shows, the amplifier has consider­
able gain at low radio frequencies,
and care is necessary to avoid
oscillation.
3. Signal wires, especially grid
Data.
leads. should be kept as short as
possible, and the stopper resistors
associated with the output stage
must be mounted on the valve­
holder tags, and not on grOl;p
panels.
-4. A bus-bar earth return
formed by a piece of 12 or 14
s.w.g. tinned copper wire, con­
nected to the chassis at the input
end. is greatly to be preferred to
the use of the chassis as an earth
5. Electrolytic
return.
and p a. p e r
capacitors should be kept away
from sources of heat, such as the
the amplifier is pUl into service
there arc a few adjustments which
require to be made. These COIl­
cern the balancing of the standing
currents in the output stage, and
(with the original circuit.) balanc­
ing of the signal currents in the
push·pull stages.
Accurate balance of the stand­
ing currents in the output stage
is essential, as the low-frequency
cha.racteristics of the output trans­
former deteriorate rapid.ly with
d_e. magnetizatioll . The proc�­
dure to be adopted for static and
signal balancing is as follows : -
Slatic BalaJ1( illg.
(a) Connect a suitable milli­
ammeter in the lead to the
centre tap of the output tram,­

Figs. 3 and 4 show the positions

ing choke. output and rectifier valves. former primary.
2. The output transformer and (b) Set the total current to
loudspeaker leads should be kept of the major components in two 1 2 5 mA by means of H. , .
at a reasonable distance from the alternative layouts which have
(O-IO V approx . )
(c) Connect a moving-coil
input leads, which should be been used successfully. voltmeter
screened. As the response curve Initial Adjustments. Before across the whole of the output

'5

v,
OUTrtJl
lIlANSfORM£1I
v,
®0
I �='='::==
(.ONN[tTlN� lI�K
Fig. 4. Layout when using separate power pack.
transformer primary and adjust
R" until the reading is zero, in­
dicating balance. Random
fluctuations of this instrument
may be noticed. These are due
to mains and valve fluctuations
a.nd should be disregarded.
Signal Baltmc;'lg.
(a) Connect the low-im-
pedance winding of a small out­
put transformer in the lead to
the centre tap of the output
transformer. Connect a detector
(beadphonl::s or a cathode-ray
oscillograph if available) to the
other winding, earthing one
side for safety.
(b) Connect a resistive load
in place of the loudspeaker.
(c) Apply a signal at a fre­
quency of about 4oo e / s to the
amplifier input to give an out­
put voltage about hall maxi­
mum.
(d) Adjust RI. for minimum
output in the detector.
The Output Transfonner. As
stated previously, the output
transformer is tht: most critical
component in the a.mplifu::r and
satisfactory performance will not
be obtained with a. component
differing substantially from the
specification. The effect of de­
creasing the primary inductance
will be to produce instability a t
low frequencies. which can be
cured only by altering the time
constants or the other coupling
circuits. or by dt:Creasing the
amount of feedback. At high fre­
quencies the situation is more
complex, as there are more
variables. The leakage induc­
tance. the self-capacita.nce of the
windings, the ca.pacitance between
windings and the distribution of
these parameters determine the
The Williamson Amplifier
"'�IMS
' '" '""' '
- �=======::'..J
:: ''=--,
transmission of the c.omponent a.t
high frequencies, and great varia­
tions arc possible.
I n the output transformer �peci­
fied, the only parameter which is
likely to vary appreciably is the
inductance of the primary at low
signal levels. due to the use of
core material with a low initial
permeability. or to careless
assembly of the core. The high­
frequency characteristics are not
dependent on the core material to
a substantial degree. They arc
dependent only on the geometry of
construction. and to some extent
upon the dielectric properties of
the insulants used, and are there­
fore reproducible with a high
degree of accuracy.
Comments are frequently ex­
pressed about the size of the out­
put transformer. It is true tha.t
it is considerably larger than the
transformers which are usually
fitted to 15-watt amplifiers. The
fact that the peak flux density of
7,250 gauss for maximum output
at 20C/S lies on the upper safe
limit for low distortion is sufficient
comment on current practice.
Some confusion arose regarding
the method of connection of the
transformer secondary windings to
match loads of various im­
pedances. whilst utilizing all the
secondary sectioDs. The correct
10,0000 and as the turns ratio in
p r i m a r y load impedance is
the original design is 7 6 : I the im­
pedance of each secondary section
is lo,ooo nl 76� or 1 . 7 0 . When
secondary sections arc connected
in parallel, the turns ratio, and
hence the impedance ratio, re­
mains unchanged. If now two
secondary sections, or sets oC
paralleled sections, are connected
in series the turns ratio is halved.
,6
and the secondary impedance.
being proportional to the square
I . 7 l!( 2'=6.80. Similarly if three
of the turns ratio, becomes
I -7 x 3� "'"
sections are connected in series the
impedance becomes
15.30. Thus the a v a i l a b l e
secondary impedances. keeping a
10,000 !l primary load impedance,
are 1.7, 6.8, 15·3, 27, 42.5, 61,
83 and I()()!l. The connections to
obtain these values are shown in
the table.
Should it be nectlssary, in an
emergency, to match loads of
other impedances to the ampli­
primary load impedance to 6,000 n
fier, it is permissible to reduce the
impedances, namely I, 4. g, 16,
giving another series of secondary
25, 36, 49 and 64 n. Under these
conditions the power output wj]]
be increased slightly and the dis­
tortion will be doubled. The
value of the feedback resistor Ru
must remain unaltered, as the
turns ratio is unchanged. The
values of R.� are given in the
table.
Winding data for an output
transformer to match loads in the
region of 3.5!1 are givcn in the
Appendix and the connections
and other data are included in the
lower section of the table.
The two outer layers of the
output transformer primary should
normally be connected together to
form the centre tap, the inner sec­
tions of the winding being taken
to the valve anodes. This gives
tile mmunum external electric
field.
Stability with Negative Feed­
back.-Much has been written
about the stability of amplifiers
under conditions of negative feed­
back, and the criteria for stability
arc now widely appreciated. The
issue,
article by ..Cathode Ray " in the
May, 1949, states the
matter simply and with character­
istic clarity.
Continuous oscillation will occur
in a feedback amplifier if the loop
gain-that is the transmission of
the amplifier and the feedback
network-is greater than unity at
any point where the phase shift
of the amplifier has reached 180°.
It is also possible for an amplifier
to be unstable in the absence of
continuous oscillation if these con_
ditions should occur in a transient
manner at a critical signal level.
This latter condition is particu­
Jarly likely to occur in badly de-
 The Williamson Amplifier

signed amplifiers with iron-cored transformer distortion at fre­ margin of stability, oscillation will
components, where the inductance quencies of the order of IG-20 C/S, occur. It should be emphasized
and, therefore, the time constant would require a transformer with that this will happen only very

remedy is obviously to reduce the

controlling the phase and ampli­
tude chamcteristics of one OT more
stages may increase by as much as
a factor of five between zero and
maximum signal levels. If this
variable time constant is shorter
than those of the fixed coupling
circuits, an increase in its value
due to a high signal level may be
sufficient to render the system un­
stable. In order to avoid this
condition the fixed time constants
must be made much longer than
that of the variable stage. This
ably large interstage couplings if
condition would lead to undesir­
good low-frequency response were
required. Alternatively, the var­
iable time constant must be
chosen in relation to the fixed
time constants, such that its mini­
mum value is sufficiently longer
than the fixed values to produce
stability. An increase in its value
then serves only to increase the
stability margin. This method is
used in the amplifier under dis­
. the loop gain is reduced, no in­
CUSSlOn.
To ensure a wide margin of
stability, whilst at the same time
preserving the high loop gain
necessary to reduce the effect of
a very large initial primary induc­
tance. This would necessarily be
expensive, and a compromise
must be drawn between the three
factors. Because of this, the
margin of stability must be kept
to the lowest practicable value.
When the amplifier is repro­
duced, the " spread " in tolerance
of components will normally be
such that changes in character­
istics due to departure from the
nominal value of one component
will be balanced by opposite
changes produced by departure in
another component, and the
amplifier as a whole is likely to
have characteristics close to the
average. Individual amplifiers
may. however, have charac­
teristics wbich differ substan­
to
tially from the average, due
an upward or downward
trend in the changes produced by
If the
component deviations.
trend is in a direction such that
stability will result, the only efiect
being a slight degrading of the
performance. If, on the other
hand, the loop gain is increased
by an amount greater than the
rarely, and when it does the
loop gain to its corrcct value.
To assist the unfortunate few
who experience instability, the
following procedure is recom­
mended. If oscillation should
occur at a low frequency (about
2 C/S) the first step should be to
disconnect the feedback resistor
R.J• If the oscillation continues
the decoupling circuits should be
checked and any faulty compon­
ents replaced. The amplifier
should also he examined to ensure
that it is operating correctly
balanced in push-pull, and not in
an unbalanced manner due to the
failure of some component.
Primary Inductance
Assuming that the amplifier is,
or has been rendered, stable with
the feedba.ck disconnected, the
next step should be to check the
phase and amplitude character­
practicable to make direct mea­
istics at low frequencies. It is not
surements of these characteristics
without very special equipment,
as inspection of Fig. 2 will show
that the interesting region lies

OUTPUT TRA.NSFORMERS. TA.BLE OF CONNECTIONS.

No. of seeondary
groups of sections
in series I 2 • • • • 7 8
--.

.JU-
::-,,-
� � �
:--:-

J1 r J� 1 J�
� �
Connections
� �
I -11 -1� � -" -
�
:::::
--.
Correct seoondary
L7 83
Original
impeda.m.'e (ohms) 6.S 15.3 27 42.5 61 109

"Y
Output Minimum second.

, I. 64
Transformer impedance
permissible (ohms I 9 25 3. 49

Foodback resistor
1,500
10,000/1.70
R2r. (ohms) 3,300 4,700 6,800 8,200 10,000 11,000 12,000

Turns ratio 76 38 25.4 19 15.2 12.6 10.8 '.5

Output
Altcroative Correct secondary
impedance (ohms) 3.6 l4A 32.5 57.5 90 130 17. 230

Foodba.ck TCsistor
Trnmformer
(800 Appendix)
10,000/3.60 Ru (ohms) 2,200 4,700 6,800 9,000 11,I'iOO 13,500 16,000 18,000

�,
Turns ratio
I 52.5 26.25 17.5 13
I 10.5 8.15 7.5

"

below 10 c / s . Tt is therefore
necessary to arrive at the desired
re::>ult by indirect means, namely
by measurement of the component
parameters which determine the
characteristics. The parameter
which is most likely to show a.
large deviation from specification
is the initial primary inductance
of the output transformer, since
the quality of the COre material is
not easy to control accurately, and
careless assembly of the core may
cause considerable varia.tions in its
permeability.
The initial primary inductance
should be checked by connecting
the primary winding across the
5-V, 50-C / S rectifier heater wind­
ing of the mains transformer and
measuring the current in it. The
secondary willdings should be on
open circuit. The current, which
can just be read on the 10 mA
8..c. range of a Model 7 Avometer,
should be Ijo p.A or lower. The
component should be rejected if
the current exceeds 200 p.A.
If the output transformer is
satisfactory the values of the other
components should be checked,
particular attention being paid to
the coupling components. Should
the time constants of the coup­
lings, that is their RC product, be
higher than the nominal values by
more than 20 per cent, the resis­
tors should be adjusted to give
the correct value.
The trouble will probably have
revealed itself by this time, but,
if upon reconnectillg R'5 the oscil­
lation is still present, it is very
likely to be due to the use of
valves with mutual conductances
higher than average, and it is
legitimate to increase the value of
R,s to reduce the loop gain. If
instruments are available, the
loop gain may be measured by
disconnecting RH from the
cathode of VI and reconnecting it
via a 470!l± 10 per cent resistor to
chassis. The voltage gain, mea.­
sured from the input grid to the
junction of RH and the 4700 re­
sistor, should be 10 at frequencies
between 30c/s and IOkc/s.
Care must be taken not to over­
load the amplifier when this mea­
surement is being made.
The adjustment of the loop gain
to its correct value at medium
frequencies should render the
amplifier stable at high fre­
quencies. It is unlikely that the
phase characteristic at high fre-
The Williamson Amplifier
quencies of individual amplifiers
will deviate appreciably from nor­
mal unless the layout is very poor
or the transformer is not to speci­
fication.
Capacitive Loads
The amplifier is absolutely
stable at high frequencies with a
resistive or inductive load, but it
is possible for oscillation to occur
when the load impedance is capa­
citive at very high frequencies,
for example, when a long cable is
used to connect the amplifier and
loudspeaker. To avoid this pos­
sibility, and to give an increased
margin of stability, a transitional
phase-shift network consisting of
R•• and C,o in conjunction with
the output resistance of V" has
been included in the circuit. This
has the effect of reducing the loop
gain at frequencies from 20kc/s
upwards without affecting the
phase shift in the critical region .
The use of a phase advance net­
work consisting of a capacitor
shunting R.� has been advocated
as a means of stabilizing this
amplifier. The effect of such a
network is to increase the loop
gain at high frequencies, at the
same time reducing the amount of
phase lag. It is sometimes pos­
sible by this means to steer the
phase curve away from the 180Q
point as the loop gain is passing
through unity, thus increasing the
margin of stability.
The connection of a capacitor
across Ra' however, will not
stabilize this amplifier if it bas
been consfructed to specification,
menl if oscillation is due la some
although it may produce improvc­
brge departure from specifIcation,
such as the u�e of an output trans­
former with completely different
high - frequency characteristics.
The writer has no information
about this.
The use of separate RC bias
impedances for the output valves
has also been suggested . This
procedure is not endorsed by the
writer, as there are numerous <1is­
advant..-g -t es in its use and no re­
deeming features whatsoever. If
the time constant of the bias net­
work is made sufficiently long to
ensure that the low-frequency per­
formance of the amplifier is un­
impaired, the phase shift of the
bias network will have its maxi­
mum at or near the lower critical
frequcncy and may provoke
,8
oscillation. If, on the other hand,
it is made sufficiently short to
avoid this, the ability of the
amplifier to handle low fre­
quencies will be impaired. The
use of separate bias impedances
destroys the self-balancing pro­
perties of the amplifier, and if two
dissimilar valves are used in the
output stage " motor boati n g " is
likely, due to the presence of sig­
nal in the h.t. line. The perlorm­
ance of the output transfonncr
may be seriously affected by the
out-of-balance current caused by
valves whose anode currents lie
within the manufacturer's toler­
ance limits. Finally, there can be
little justification of this modifica­
tion on economic grounds, as the
costs are roughly similar. Indeed,
if the question of replacement due
to failure is considered, the com­
mon bias arrangement shows a
definite saving.
It is to be hoped that these re­
marks on stability will not have
the effect of frightening those who
already possess amplifiers of this
Their purpose is to
type or are contemplating acquir­
ing them.
help the occasional " outer limit "
case where instability is experi­
enced, but if they serve to impress
upon the reader that negative feed­
back amplifiCrs are designed as
an integral unit, and that any
modifications, however insignifi­
cant they may appear, may seri­
ously affect the performa.nce or
stability, a useful purpose will
have heen accomplished. Such
modifications should be attempted
only by those who are confident
that they know what they are do­
ing, and who have access to mea·
suring equipment to verify results.
APPENDIX
Output Trun.;Jonner with 3.6-ohm
Secondaries
Winding Dala
l1in. stack of 28A Super
(Magnetic and
Core :
Si1cor laminations.
Electrical Alloys, Burnbauk, Ham­
ilton, Lanarks.). The winding con­
sists of two identical interleaved
coils eaeh I �in. wide on paxolin
formers liin. X Ijin. inside dimen­
On each former is wound
5 primary ficctions, each con_
sions.
sisting of 440 turns (5 layers, 88
turns per layer) of 30 s.w.g.
enamelled copper wire interleaved
with 2 mil. paper, alternating with
4 secondary sections, each con·
 The WilIiamson Amplifier

sisting of 84 turns (2 layers. 42
turns per layer) of 22 s.w.g.
enamelled copper wire interleaved
with :1 roil. paper.
Each section is insulated from its
neighbours by 3 layers of .5 roil.
Empire tape. All connections are
ing. but the primary sections may be
brought out on onc side of the wind·
connected in series when winding.
two primary connections ollly prr
holobin being brought out. \Villdings
to he assembled on core with the
bobhin reversed. and with iusulating
cheeks a nd centre spacer.

'Vhy the

lVILLlA1USON

A1UPLlFIER

should eDlploy

PARTRIDGE

TraosforDlers

THE widest possible audio range-the lowest possible distor­

tion and an output of 20 watts . . . these critical demands of the designer of
this now famous Amplifier implied the finest that technical skill and craftsmanship
could provide for every component. Little wonder that from the inception of the
Williamson Amplifier in 1947 Partridge have specialised in the transformers and
chokes. The all important output transformer was the special care of Partridge and
this H Williamson specification " component is now available for a varied range of
impedance. (A model is also available for American 807 tubes, see the modified
circuit in " Audio Engineering," November 1949.) All secondary windings are brought
out as eight separate sections of equal impedance. Stock types comprise 0.95 ohm.
1.7 ohm, 3.6 ohm and 7.5 ohm sections ; this latter giving a 500 ohm secondary
for American requirements. The Partridge H Williamson " Output Transformer
is acknowledged the most efficient 0/ its type.

Available Technical data sheets wuh fullest details

(Style VDN/436B)
available on rt4uesl. Also available, complete
UN'DTTED (complete with alternatIVe mounrmgs) are
or
'DTTED
catalogue of the Partridge range including the
(Style VDN/436B) mains components for this and orher amplifiers.

* IMMEDIATE DELIVERY can be made.

and these components are ready for shipment
to all parts of the world.
PARfiPOGE
TRANSFORMERS LTD
ROEBUCK ROAD : KINGSTON BY·PASS TOLWORTH : SURREY : Elmbridge 6737f8

19
 The Williamson Amplifier

Design of Tone Controls and

A uxiliary Gramophone Circuits
OST
M
power amplifiers in­ the present article. It must suffice source, and are capable of being

duction are designed to

tended for sound repro­ to say that the matter is one i n ameliorated. In addition , fixed

cise his own judgment and act

have a uniform response to fre­
quencies within the audible range,
and it is the aim of designers of
pickups, microphones and loud­
speakers to give similar character­
istics to their products. This re­
presents an attempt to fulfil one
of the conditions for the creation
of a perfect replica of the original
sound and provides a common
basis for the design of individual
units, which, when connected to­
whic h the individual must enr· compensation must be provided
(or deviations from a uniform re­
accordingly. sponse which are deliberately in­
In order that he may have troduced in gramophone records.
scope to do this, a pre-amplifier The degree of complication
designed to be used in conjunction which is worthwhile in such a
with gramophone recordings and unit must be considered. In
radio transmissions should there­ theory, it is possible to compen­
fore be capable of providing vari­ sate precisely for deficiencies in
able compensation for such de­ the amplitude/ frequency and
fects as are likely to occur in the phase / frequency response cbanc-
,
..
IHPUT

C"
gether. will provide a complete

0..
channel with a uniform gain /

III SE SJ,...-
frequency characteristic.
fAU
TRE6l[ ::--
Considerations of an engineer­

I fAll
ing nature sometimes make it de­
sirable, and even essential, to �I�E I 00>
depart from this ideal of a uni­ I C"
' ..
e�ss VALVE
form response in certain soctions
0·1
"" '"
G�ID
'"
of equipment, and quite fre­
:51 MIN .
BASS TREBLE
quently the use of inferior equip­
I Cn
FlIt
I
ment or long and unsuitable trans­
mission lines leads te an undesir­

AIS( Cn
able departure from uniformity.
(n cases like this, other " equal­
izer " units have to be inserted in ' ..
the channel to provide character­
istics which are the inverse of
those of the offending section , so
Fig. 5. Basic frequency compensation circuit. Typical
remedying the defect.
values (for use after an EF37. triode-connected) are !
R.cn. 3sokO, log ; �h lookO ; Ru. 6.8kO ; R.u,
When listening conditions de­
part from the ideal-and this, un­ lokO ; Rc•• IookO hnear. C20• ISopF mu. ; Cn.
fortunately, happens frequently o.oIl'F. Cu O'OSl'F ; CUt looopF.
since most rooms are unsuitable
auditoria for the reproduction of
orchestral music at realistic in­
1 1111 -
I- "� (!i "
11 �
tensities-it is sometimes bene­
ficial to modify the frequency re­
sponse characteristic of the equip­
ment in an attempt to compensate
, ""
I
for the more obvious defects in the
room acoustics. The word 1'-,1 I

I ,
I' ; .

� V
" attempt " is used advisedly.
since only very complex equaliza­ ,i. I
tion could ever hope to provide r-
accurate compensation for room :.1,,[
f-- ,� ,
I '''[ ( n
acoustics. This question of the
frequency compensation which is
'�. ",'
II
�
desirable when conditions depart
from the ideal is a very thorny
and subjective one. It provokes

FR£QUlIICY
much heated, dogmatic, and
usually very unscientific discus­
(c/.)
sion, and is beyond the scope of Fig. 6. Response curves of circuit of Fig. S.
'0

teristics, but the equipment to do
this is complicated and expensive.
When a considerable portion of
the channel is outside the control
of the listener, as is the ca..<;e
when reproducing records or
broadcast transmissions, he has
no means, apart from the sensi­
tivity and training of his cars, of
determining the defects which
have occurred in that portion.
Since it is impossible to determine
the nature and amount of phase
distortion by listening to a trans­
mission, and since it is not usual
for much attention to be paid to
this form of distortion at the re­
cording or transmitting end, there
would seem to be little justifica­
tion for the inclusion of phase
correcting networks in domestic
equipment. In the case of a
sound reproducing system which
is completely under the control of
the user, particularly if ::.iereo­
phonic, phase distortion should
not be allowed to occur if the
finest possible quality is to be ob­
tained. This is especially true at
low frequencies, where consider­
able time delays are involved.
Low phase distortion is best
achieved by designing a system
with a bandwidth considerably
greater than the audible range,
but where this is not possible com_
pensation may be provided.
Consideration of the causes of
frequency distortion leads to the
conclusion that it is normal for the
levels at the ends of the spt."Ctrum
to be accentuated or attenuated
progressively with respect to the
level at middle frequencies and a
form of compensation to correct
this fulfils most requirements. It
is not possible to lay down hard
and fast rules about the amount
of compensation necessary, hut
rates of attenuation or accentua­
tion greater than 6db/ octave are
not usually required.
As it is often desirable to change
the amount of compensation dur­
ing a programme without calling
attention to the fact, methods
which give continuous control
over the response are to be pre­
ferred to switched systems, unless
the latter are graded in very fine
steps.
The use of inductors to provide
gain/frequency compensation is
to be deprecated as, apart from
possible troubles due to resonance
eflects and non-linearity, they are
very liable to pick up hum from
The Williamson Amplifier
.... � 90°
"
'1--
-
w
I of Fig. 7.
.... l The attenuation introduced by
/
-�-
c'!:Vl
I�
1
Basic filter circuit.
Fig. 7.
stray alternating magnetic fields,
especially if they are air-cored ,
Metal- or dust-cored toroids are
less troublesome in this respoct,
but are expensive and not readily
obtainable.
Frequency Compensation.-Fig.
5 shows a simple compensation
circuit which will accomplish bass
and treble accentuation and
attenuation without the use of in­
ductors. The controls consist of
two potentiometers, each asso­
ciated with a changeover switch.
Consider the low frequency con­
trols R •• and 52' When RH is
fully anticlockwise (minimum re­
sistance) the response to fre­
quencies below I,OOOC / S is uni­
form. If the switch S. is set to
" rise," as R•• is rotated clock­
wise, the amplitude/frequency
characteristic will rise at low fre­
at A in Fig. 6.
quencies to the maximum shown
If 53 is set to
" fall .. and Rn rotated clockwise
from the minimum position, pro­
gressive low-frequency attenua­
tion will be introduced, up to the
maximum shown at B. In a simi­
lar manner, by the use of R .. and
S. the high-frequency response is
continuously variable from a level
response to the extremes shown at
C and D with the values given.
The curves may be shifted bodily
along the horizontal axis by
modifying the capacitance values
as shDwn by the arrows in Fig. 6,
..
CURVE A lOOP r.AIN .. 0
B .. 20
( . .. 100
HEOUENCY
Fig. 8. Characteristics of circuit
the Iletwork when controls are at
the level position is 24 db, and the
network must, of COllrse, be
introduced into the system at a
signal level sllch that the valve
feeding is not overloaded.
Low-Pass Filter,-The majority
of medium-wave broadcast trans­
missions, when reproduced with
wide-range equipment. exhibit a
most objectionable fonn of non­
linear distortion. This takes the
form of a mttle or buzz often
accompanying transient sounds
such as pianoforte music . This
type of distortion is commonly
caused by minor discontinuities in
the transfer characteristic and is
frequently associated with Class
" B " amplifiers.
Recording and processing de­
fects, record wear and imperfect
tracing by the pickup produce a
similar type of distortion from
gramophone records.
The most offensive frequency
components of the rattJe or
buzz are generally present at
the extreme upper end of the
audible spectrum, and spread
downwards as the severity of the
effect increases. Fortunately, the
concentration of this type of dis­
tortion into the extreme upper end
of the spcctrum makes it possible
to effect considerable improve­
IDent by removing or reducing the
energy in the signal at these fre­
quencies. A low-pass filter with
a cut-oil frequency variable be­
tween the limits of 5 and r3kc/s
and a fairly high rate of attenua­
tion above the cut-off frequency
is a great asset in securing the best
possible aural result from indiffer_
ent transmissions or recordings.
Although it is practicable to
provide a. filter with a continu-

FREQUENCY
filter characteristic produced
Fig. 9. Modification of basic
by
additional phase shift.
ously variable cut-off frequency,
the expense and complication are
not normally justified and a
switched selection of frequencies is
satisfactory. To attain the high
attenu ation rates necessary to se­
cure satisfactory results a norma}
resonant-section type of filter
could be used, but this carries
with it the disadvantages asso­
ciated with the use of inductors.
using only resistive a nd capac iti ve
An alternative type of filter
elements based on the parall el -T
network' is capable of giving very
satisfactory results. Briefly. the
princip le of this filter is as fol­
fier feedi ng a parall el -T null net­
lows. In Fig. 7 is shown an ampli­
work. the output from the net­
work being fed back to the input
of the amplifier. Such a system
has amplitude and phase charac­
teristics of the general shape
shown in Fig. 8 . By altering the
loop gain of the amplifier, it is
possible to produce a resonance
characteristic of any desired de­
gree of sharpness.
If now a lagging phase shift is
introduced into the amplifier. for
example . by connecting the capa­
citor C from grid to earth. it will
be seen that the total phase shift
due to network and amplifier j ust
below resonance will be greater
than 90" and the feedback volt­
age will have a positive compon­
ent, whilst above resonance a
greater negative component will
exist. The effect of this is to un ­
balance the amplitude character­
istic as shown in Fig. 9. A rise
in response occurs just before the
resonance frequency due to the
positive component of feedback,
and above the resonant frequency
' Thie.sen. G. J. . R·e filter Circuits."'
Jo.m.�l 0/ the Aoou.lioal Sotiety of
Am",;o". Vo1. 16. No. 4. pp. 275-279
April. 19-15
The Williamson Amplifier
the response rises to a fraction of
its value below resonance and then
falls off due to the attenua­
The addition of a further R-C
tion produced by the capacitor C.
attenuatin g network external to
the circuit will produce a Ire­
quency response characteristic as
FREQUENCY
Fig. 1 0. Final low-pass charac­
external R-C attenuator.
teristic resulting from addition of
shown in Fig. 10. The similarity
resonant element L-C filter will
of this curve to the response of a
readily be appreciated. There is
a practical limit to th e rate of
atlenuation which can be achieved
with a single stage, since the
attenuation rate and the level to
which the response rises above the
frequency of maximum attenua­
tion are interrelated . Thus a high
rate of attenuation is achieved
with simplicity only at the expense
of a low ratio of response below
cut-off to peak response above
cut-off. However. a rate of
attenuation of 40 db / octave can
be obtained from one stage with
a minimu m attenuation above
cut-off of nearly 30 db, which is
quite satisfactory . By cascading
a number of these filter stages any
desired attenuation characteristics
may be achieved. and high-pass
filters may be similarly formed by
the addition of leading phase shift
to the amplifier.
A filter desi gned on these lines,
with five switched positions giv­
5· 7, 10 and 13 kc/s and a
ing nominal cut-off frequencies of
" lin ear " position is inc orporated
in the final circuit. The perform­
ance is shown in Fig. 1 1 .
Gramophone Pee.amplifier. ­
The arrangements just described
are generally all that is necessary
to compensate for defects in radio
transmissions. For record repro­
duction. howe ver. additional fixed
compensation is required .
The
nature of this compensation will
depend on the rec ording charae-
22
teristic and the type of pickup
used.
to require repetition. lateral disc
For reasons now too well known
recordings are usually cut with a
groove amplitude which i!l propor+
tional to signal below some arbi­
trarily selected frequency in the
300-4oo C / s region and with a
proportional to signal above this
lateral groove velocity which is
frequency. To improve signal /
noise ratio it is now common prac_
ttee to increase the level recorded
at high frequencies. This is par­
tic ularly effective, since the noise
energy per cycle increases with
frequency due to tbe structure of
the record material . In Fig. 12 is
shown the recording characteristic
used by Decca. The E.M.I. char­
acteristic does not differ substan­
tially at low frequencies but the
rise above 3,OOO C / S is absent. It
is proposed to use the Decca cbar+
acteristic as a basis for design.
When playing KM.1. recordings,
onc fixed capacitor in the pre­
be switc hed out of circuit, giving a
amp lifiers to be described later may
level response. Alternatively the
gramophone prc-amplifier may be
left unchanged and correction pro­
vided by means of the variable
treble control in the tone c ompen­
to 100 pF and R .. (Fig. 5) ad­
sation unit. This. when C�. is set
vanced by one quarter of maxi­
mum rotation, gives almost per­
The majority of pickups . with
fect correction.
the exception of piezoelectric
which is proportional to the lateral
types, give an electrical output
velocity of the stylus . The out­
put of such a pickup when play­
the form shown in Fig. 12, with
ing a Decca recording will be of
velocity. A pre-amplifier suitable
ordinates of voltage instead of
for such a pickup should have a
frequency characteristic which is
the inverse of this.
Some desirable properties of a
pickup pre-amplifier are : -
I.
2.
Low noise level.
Low distortion at signal
levels likely to be encountered
with pickups in common use.
3. Sharp attenuation below
20 C / S to suppress turntable
rumble. etc.
4. Provision for varyi ng the
gain electrically.
Noise Level.-The attainment
of a low noise level in high-quality
sound systems is of such vital im-

partance that a few remarks of
a general nature will not be out
of place at this juncture.
It is an unfortunate fact that
improvements in microphones and
pickups in the direction of wider
frequency range a.nd absence of
other fonns of distortion are
almost invariably achieved at the
expense of the electrical output.
This does not necessarily mean
that the efficiency of the trans·
ducer is reduced by the other im­
provements, but merely that it re­
moves less energy from the
acoustical field or from the record
groove which actuates it, causing
less disturbance of this field, or
less wear of the record groove.
There is, however, a. limit to
this tendency set by the noise
generated by thermal agitation in
the transducer and its auxiliaries
and by the noise produced in the
first valve of the amplifier. It is
desirable in a wide-range, high­
quality sound system to attempt
to maintain a peak signalJ noise
ratio of at least 70 db. This
be achieved with Cl direct cellulose
figure represents the best that can
disc recording when everything is
" just right," and it is to be ex­
pected that the standards of com­
mercial disc recordings will ap­
proach this level whel; improved
techniques are combined with new
disc materials. A well-designed
magnetic tape recorder will give
a signal /noise ratio of 70-80 db,
and the increasing use of this type
of equipment will doubtless give
impetus to the research necessary
for the achievement of similar
standards in other forms of re­
cording. With a signal /noise
ratio of 70 db, a sound reproduc­
ing system with a frequency re-
+ the square root of the sum of the
1 B I'V.
/'
I
o enable the main amplifier to be
V fully loaded by a signal at this
1/
. fully.
fREQUENcY (c�)
Decca recording characteristic.
Fig. 12.
The Williamson Amplifier
sponse fiat to 20,OOO C / S operat­
ing at a realistic volume level pro·
duces, in the absence oC a signal,
noise which is just audible as a
very gentle rustle and is com­
pletely inoffensive.
Most modern microphones and
pickups are electromagnetic,
although there is a tcndency for
microphone design to gravitate
towards carrier-operated capacitor
types. These have problems of
their own and will not be treated
here. Electromagnetic micro­
phones and pickups are manufac­
tured with impedances ranging
from a few milliohms to several
used in conjunction with a trans-­
thousand ohms, but are normally
former which raises the impedance
to a suitably high value to match
the input impedance of a valve,
For obvious reasons it is desir­
able to make this secondary im­
pedance as large as possible-say
----
FREOUENCY (els)
Fig. I I.
Measured overall response of low_pass filter, in conjunction
with pre_amplifier circuit (Fig, IS, page 26).
I
'3
several megohms-since the volt·
age output from the transducer
will increase simultaneously. re­
ducing the gain required from the
electronic equipment and the
amount of noise contributed by it.
lt is not practicable, however,
to increase the secondary imped­
ance much beyond 0 . 1 MO if a
flat frequency response is required
from the transformer over the
audible range.
The noise generated by thermal
agitation in a 0.1 MO resistor at
room temperature is about 6/AV
for a bandwidth of 20.000 C / S . To
this must be added the noise pro­
duced in the first valve of the
amplifier. By careful design and
construction, and by the use of a
suitable valve, the noise from all
causes, including mains hum, can
be reduced to a value equivalent
to about 3 P.V at the grid, but
under normal conditions a figure
,.
of 5 /AV is fairly representative.
The total noise may be taken as
squares of these values. or about
To obtain a signal/noise
ratio of 70 db, then, the peak sig­
nal must be 70db above this level.
say 25 mV Lm.s. The pre-ampli­
fier should have sufficient gain to
leveL
The choice of a valve type for
the first stage must be made care­
In theory, for equal gain
lower than that produced by a
the noise level in a triade stage is
pentode, since the pentode has an
additional noise component due to

electron parlItLOu between screen
and anode. In fact, however,
there are no h1gh-gai.n triodes
commercially available with the
requisite characteristics and elec­
trode structures for Jaw-noise
operation. A valve designed for
such conditions should have a
rigidly braced electrode structure
to reduce microphony and a
balanced " double helical " heater
construction to minimize the alter_
nating field surrounding the
cathode. The Mullard EF37 has
this construction and, connected
as a pentode, the noise levels men­
tioned earlier are obtainable. Be­
fore commencing work, the reader
who is not familiar with the te<:h­
nique of high-gain amplifier con­
struction should consult an article
on this subje<:t.2. I Considerable
reduction of residual hum may
usually be obtained by demagnet­
In order to
izing the valve.'
obtain the best signal /noise ratio,
the principle which should be fol­
lowed, when valve noise is the
limiting factor in high-gain ampli­
fiers, is to put the whole of the
available signal into the valve
grid, and to provide any fre­
quency compensation which may
be ne<:essary after the signal has
been amplified. By this method
valve noise is included in any
attenuating operations which may
be performed and the overall sig­
nal noise ratio is improved.
Numerous
methods of providing a. response
Low Distortion. -
which varies with frequency are
possible and, of course, each
method has advantages and dis­
advantages. Where the response
has to be continuously variable
the method which gives greatest
simplicity of control usually
triumphs. Other things being
equal. however. methods which
employ selective negative feed­
back are to be preferred. as cir­
cuits of this nature generally have
a high signal-handling capacity
and non-linear distortion is kept
to a mlnLmum. In a pickup pre­
amplifier this may be of import­
ance where pickups with widely
varying output levels are to be
used.
Hum in lIi.h Gain Am·
. have been adjusted to give as
lI'iu/eJJ II'Drld. VDI. 53. No.
Buandall. P. J.
p lilien."
• . .
Reduction.,
2.
pp. 57·61, Februa� . 1947. . .
• Dickenon
EI'clro�iu. Vol. 21, No. 12, p. 112. De­
A. F., Hum
Eledro�ic Efttiut";ftl.
cember. lM8.
Vo1. 20, No. 245, p. 235. July. 1948: No.
• Correspondence_
248, I'. 339. October, 1948; No. 250. p.
.06. Dccembtr, 1948.
The Williamson Amplifier
High _ Pass Characteristic.
Gramophone motors tend to pro­
duce vibrations which can cause
unpleasant rumbling noises in a
wide-range system. Although the
energy contained in the " rumble "
components may be relatively
low, the frequency is also very
low, and consequently loud­
speaker cone movements of high
amplitude may be caused. If the
driving coil should move out of
the region of uniform flux-density,
the whole spectrum being repro­
duced will be distorted in a par­
ticularly unpleasant manner. Dis­
tortion in the output transformer
is also possible.
This situation can be improved
materially by the insertion of a
high-pass filter with a cut·off fre­
quency of about 'lo c / s and a
fairly rapid attenuation below cut­
off. At these low frequencies.
such filters are conveniently com­
posed of resistance-capacitance
networks and may be incorpor­
ated in the bass-compensation pre­
amplifier.
Electrical Fading Control. ­
When the pickup is placed on, or
removed from. the disc the gain
must be reduced to avoid un­
pleasant noises. While this may
be done by a mechanical poten­
tiometer the method is clumsy
and does not facilitate rapid re­
cord changing. It has been found
convenient to employ an electrical
method in which the gain of one
of the stages is reduced to zero at
the flick of a switch by a bias volt·
age applied and removed by
means of a network with a suit­
able time constant.
Pra-Amplifiers
Although all the refinements
outlined so far are desirable. in­
dividual requirements will vary
considerably and will detennine
how much complication should be
attempted. Two gramophone
pre-amplifier circuits will there­
fore be described. which should
COver most requirements.
Fig. 13 shows a simple circuit
which gives good compensation
for the Decca recording charac­
teristic. The circuit constants
high a degree of attenuation
below 'l0 C / s as is consistent with
simplicity. This involves a slight
sacrifice of the response at 20 e / s .
The method of operation is as
follows : Negative feedback is
'4
applied to the valve by the
potential divider formed by Ru
and the impedance of CH ' en
and nU' At medium frequencies
the reactance of CL� is small, and
that of Cu large compared with
the resistance of Ru and Ru' and
the gain of the stage is determined
by the values of these resistors.
As the frequency is lowered the
impedance of the top limb in­
creases, giving a progressive rc­
duction of feedback. This pro­
duces a gain/ frequency charac­
teristic which rises to a maximum,
determined by the circuit con­
stants, and then decreases due to
the coupling components C LI ' Rn
and Ru' With increasing fre­
quency the impedance of Cu de­
creases, increasing the negative
feedback and producing a falling
gain/ frequency characteristic.
The capacitance between the
input transformer s(:condary wind­
ing and earth may. f i large, affect
the response at the extreme upper
end of the audible spectrum. This
effect is negligible with a well­
designed component, but long
leads should be avoided. The
transformer should be mounted
on
the pre-amplifler chassis,
which in turn may conveniently
be fixed beneath the motor board.
The overall cbaracteristic with
from a p e rf e c t
an input
. . velocity " pickup on a. Dccca
disc is shown in Fig. 14.
A more complex circuit, which
gives nearly perfect compensation
and a very rapid attenuation
(30db/ octave) below 'l o c / s , is
shown in Fig. 1 5 . This pre­
amplifier has a higher gain than
the previous onc. and is particu­
larly suitable for use in equip­
ment where the pickup is located
at some distance from the rest of
the amplifier as the circuit ter­
minates in a cathode follower.
The construction oL this circuit
is not recommended for those
without access to facilities for
checking the response of the
finished unit, as the performance
may be seriously affected by an
error in component values.
The frequency characteristic of
this amplifier is produced by the
combination of two curves shown
at A and B in Fig. 16. These,
when added, give the curve C.
Curve A is produced by the cir­
cuit associated with V,.. which is
similar in principle to that of
 The Williamson Amplifier

I
Fig_ Simple
List or Components for Fig. 13. gramophone pre-
Typo Rating Tolerance amplifier designed "'V
Value to suit High·stability R" .
for the Decca re-
Rn
transformer carbon cording character-
It" 0.1 ]'0[0 do. !W istic. When playing
Ru 0.68 MO do. IW E.M.I. records CH
jW
.c"
R" 0.22 MO do. may be switched out
R.
't" IW
natively, compensa"l n' f
47 kO do. of circuit. Alter_

tion can be effected R

Rn 4.7 kO do.
n"
RM
0.22 MO
22 kO
Compoaition
do.
10%
10% in the tone-control �:.
Ru 2.2 MO do. circuits.
c..:
All resistors may 00 iW rating tolerance 20% unless •

I c,!.- R
w

w"
otherwise specified.
z·
Ra.ting � �:;;
� ", "£
OZ

""
(V d.e.
Type working) Tolerance
Paper
Electrolytic
2f)ij
12
����(:R"
L-I "--r- r
h : R"
-
o�
'z
"w
5�
0

:R,.
ElectrvJylic 450 "
Silvered mica 350 10%
R ..
�" C, : R"
Silvered mica.
Paper 500
250 10% ;

Fig. 13. The attenuation at low

frequencies is due to the combined
effect of the intervalve couplings.
Curve B is produced by feedback
mu:
over V 14 through a parallel-T net­ t-
work tuned to 20 c I s.
f--
f--
The overall frequency response
curve. taken under the same con­
ditions as that of Fig. 14. is shown !;----;
Fading Control.�The circuits
in Fig. 17.

of Figs. 13 and 15 have no pro­ FRf:QUEHC.Y (t/l)

vision for electrical fading. Fig. 18 Fig. 14. Response curve of circuit of Fig. 13 with ideal " velocity "

connected to the cathode of V. in

shows a network which. when pickup.

Fig. 1 3 or V11 in Fig. 15. enables
the gain to be reduced to zero in
about a second when the switch
S5 is closed. On opening 55 the
gain is restored to its normal value
in a similar period.
Complete Variable Compensa.
tion Unit.-It is now necessary to
connect together the circuits just
dcscribed to fonn a flexible tone
compensation unit. This must be
A very carefully designed and
necessarily expensive decoupling
system is required if a high-gain
pre-amplifier is to operate satis­
factorily from the amplifier power
supply. The cost of such de­
coupling is higher than that of a
separate power supply unit pro­
ducing. say. 350 V at 20 mA. and
therefore the use of a unit of this
type is strongly recommended.
(Fig. 13) has a gain of H at 1.000
c / s . Thus. when this unit is used.
full output may be obtained with
a pickup which produces 18 mV
peak. Should it be required to
use the system with an insensitive
microphone. disconnection of C..
in Fig. 13 will raise the gain of
the stage to about 150. with a
sensibly linear frequency re­
sponse. Full output will then be

done in such a manner that each
works well within its signal­
handling capacity and does not
influence the others adversely.
Fig. 1 9 on pages 28 and 29 shows
the final arrangement.
Power Supplies.�The High
Quality Amplifier has a frequency
response which is useful down to
2 e/s. This necessitates a few
precautions when auxiliaries are
connected to the input. At these
very low frequencies. the balance
of the push-pull stages may not
be good. and there may be con­
siderable signal in the supply line.
sponse.�Reference to Figs. 6, H,
Performance.�F,.equency Re­
I4 and 17 will enable the fre­
quency response of any combina­
tion of units and control settings
to be detennined. The effect of
intermediate control settings may
be arrived at by interpolation.
Gain.�The figures underlined
in Fig. 19 are the peak signal
voltages necessary to give maxi­
mum output at I.ooo c / s when the
pre-amplifier is used in conjunc­
tion with the High Quality
Amplifier.
The simple pickup pre-amplifier
obtained with an input of 1.3mV
peak. The more complex pickup
pre-amplifier (Fig. IS) has a gain
of approximately 250.
Noise Letlel.�With careful
construction and by adjllstment
of R51 to give minimum hum. the
noise level may be reduccd to an
equivalent input signal of 3-5 IAV
at the pickup pre-amplifier grid.
excluding the noise due to the
pickup transformer and
auxiliaries.
Distortion.�The total har­
monic distortion produced by the
units when used up to the signal

'5
 The Williamson Amplifier

Fig. IS. Pre-amplifier with high-pass filter.

Component Values ror Circuit of Fig. 15.

'fYre Rating Tolornnce Type Hating Tolerance

trllnsformer
R" Value to suit High .�tability R,. 0.22 MO Composition 20 %
cnrbon Hao IO kO do. IlY 20%
R" 0.1 '1\10 do. �W 20% • lIIay require adjustment.

Reo 0.68 MO do. IlY 20% All resistors may be !W rating, except where other.
R" 0.22 1\10 do. IlY 20% wise stated.

Rn 0.22 1\[ 0 Composition

R" 4.7 k Q do. 20"/0 Hating
10% (V d.G.

060
R. 20 kO· do. Type working) Tolerance
20%
12
R6/j 22 kO High·stability ! lY 20% 0.5 1'F Puper 250

R..
carbon C" 50 1'1<' E:1ectro1ytic

:I;}()
0.22 l\lO Composition 10% C" 16 ,..F Electrolytic 450

4.7 i\Hl
H" 0.20 MD· do. C� 0.02 1'P Paper 10%
R.. do. 5% C" 4000 pF Sih'ered mica. 3W 10%
R.. 1.0 1\1 Q do. lIV 20% Coo 100 pF Sih-ered mica 350 10%

C" f,Q /,F

R,o 0.22 MO do. �W 20% C. 0.5 /LF Paper 250 20%

Silt'ered mica
R" 2.2 kQ do. 20% Electrolytic 12
2.0 :\1 fl:
'
I "" C.. 0.01 I'F 350 1%
R" Jligh.stability carlx)JJ

Ro3
or matched or matched

Coo f>OOO pF :IJO

2.0 MD: do. 1% C.. 0.25 1'.1<' Papcr 500 20%
or matched t::iitvercd mica 1%
It,, 1.0 MD: do. 1% or matched
OT 1%
10 1\J 0:
mutch(ld CO 5000 pF Sih-ered mica. 3;:;0
'
R" Composition 5% or matched
HoG 47 kO: do. 10% C" 7000 pF Silvered mica 3.'>0 10%

R" CM 16 1'1'
Rn I kQ do. 20 % C� 0.5 /LF Papcr 500 20%
4i kn do. IlY 20% EleetrviyLic 450

levels indicated is considerably
less than 0.1 per cent.
Form of the Equipmcnt.-The
outward form which a complete
domestic sound equipment takes
is very much a matter of personal
taste. The suggestions which
follow have been found in prac·
tice to provide ease of operation
combined with absence of trouble­
some feedback effects,
The equipment is best con·
structed in two units, one con­
taining the loudspeaker and the
other the turntable, This pre­
vents mechanical and acoustical
feedback.
The control unit fiay be a con­
sole of armchair height (overall
dimensions about 18in x l4in x
20in high) easily movable on
castors. This may contain the
pickup and turntable, the pre­
amplifier uDit and, if desired, a
radio receiver, complete with its
power supply. The output from
the pre-amplifier may be con­
nected via a cathode follower to
26
a multicore-screened cable. which
connects the console with the
amplifier and loudspeaker unit,
and carries the mains and aerial
connections.
The amplifier and loudspeaker
unit may be a triangular corner
cabinet, with the amplifier built
into the lower portion, and the
loudspeaker occupying the upper
section, arranged at a. convenient
level for listening.
This arrangement gives great
ea.se of manipulation, avoiding
 The WilIiamson Amplifier

the necessity of rising from one's --, 350V

comfortable seat to attend to the " ,
\
I
controls or change a record. The ' ..... -, 1
main amplifier may be included 1-,�.. .. C" R
.. Rn
WI LLlAMSON'S
:v 1
I R" OFF
R"

.:h,I � I
in the console, but this tends to
make it heavy and bulky, and ,-
ON
I I
gives rise to problems of heat dis­
I l O . p.
"-I.,, "

r'" C'T
sipatio n which afe not easily
r.�
I ,
c.

I I
solved.
AcknowIedgment.-The writer
is greatly indebted to Ferranti, 1 I
TRANSFORMER
Fig. 18. Circuit of fading control. To A uthor's
Ltd., for pennission to publish

on their behalI, and wishc!l to

the results of work undertaken
Specification
thank his colleagues for help
List ot Components for Fig. 18.
fl.ating
freely gIven.
Ru
£4-1 3-6
.�
RS2
0.22 Mn IW
0.22 Mn
Ra;s 47 k n
IW

RBI lOOn CHOKES FOR WILLlAMSON'S

- "" All resistors may 00 iW rating. AMPLIFIER
� /
ol--�- tolerance 20,% uules8 otherwise
"
� specified. JOH at 20 m/a. · . 18/6
.......
w

� JB;/I'
, Rating
10H at 1 50 m/a. · . 35/6
(Vd.c. 50H at 20 m/a. · . 22/-
working)
- -'-L--
fREQUENCY
__
250
350 MAINS TRANSFORMERS
Fig. 16. Derivation of high_pass
:150
FS4J. Input 200/250v.
(;baracteristi(;.
Output 425/0/425v. at
200 m/a. 6.3v. 4 am ps.
0 6.3v. 4 amps. CT.
CT.
�
•
'"
5v. 3 amps.
- 10 Fully S h rouded
..
•
5 1 /�
"
w
>
�
•

-
�
w
-lO / W. I .
Output
Inpuc 200/250v.
325/0/32Sv. at
/ 20 m/a. 6.3v. 0.6 am ps.
6.3v. 1 .5 amps. Chassis
-300
-
8
mounting . . . . . . . . 23/-
fREOUENCY (�Is)

H. ASHWORTH
Fig. 17. Response curve of cirwit of Fig. 15·

OTHER " WIRELESS WORLD " REPRINTS

Receiver Alignment Equipment : I. Simple Cathode-Ray o�c;nos�..,pc
1 950). 2. D e.ign for � Wobbu1atQr (October 1950). By M. G. ScrQggie}
!I.se., M.l.f.f. ...

Jl; 676, GREAT HORTON

(March

Communications Receiving Equipment : 1. Ex-RA.F. Communi­

•.• . .. ... ... 9d. ""'. By POSI 10!<I.

cations Receiver (July 1946). 2. Band-Pas� Converle

ROAD
(October 195;:1). 3. More
�bout Ihnd_Pas. (Anverters (February 1950. 4. 21 m'co Band Pa.s Cnnverrer
(July 1952). Is. n�•. BY Plm Is. I!d.

Vaughan (Dtt"mb"r 1951).

Radio Feeder Unit : High Quality PrC-lUncd R�ccivcr Wilh Gramophone

Osdlloscope : Simple llesign Wilh Fi\'c-Ineh Calhode Ray

Pee-amplifier. By J. F. O. 9<1. nU. By (>QJI 10!d.
Television
Tub.,. fir W. TU'ling (June and July 1952). 9:/. nU. By pOll !O!d. B RADFO R D
By :o; M. n�l.
Midget Three-Valve A.C. Mains Receiver : Longand Medium Wave
S. W. Amo., H.SC. (Ilo

Embodying Automatic Gain Control. By s. Y O R K S.

T.RE set. s.) (February (950). B)I [H>fl 7!d.

W. Amo., H.SC. (110)<15.) and G. G. Johnston., B.se. (HONS.) (October and NGvemhcr
Sensitive T.R.F. Receiver :

'Phone : BRADFORD 7 1 9 1 6
Obtaillable direct
1951). ... Lt. nU. By pcm It. Bd.
from:
ILIFFE & SONS LTD., DORSET HOUSE, STAM,FORD ST., LONDON., S.E.1.

27
 The Williamson Amplifier

RH R"
c"

INPIIT fROM
R" �S[ " R" Cu
S,.�
PICI(UP OR

c"

S, t
PilE-AMPLIfiER
RCu R" R ..
FALL

JR"��V'
11.1.010
'NPIIT
-1'r;
�"';; LJ I1IN. 11.1.
BASS
,�
I
I
C"

CU
R�

I1IN.
R
"l
et:: v"

.. , .
I"=�
I�
� �ll �
RISE

Cu R"

C" R"

Fig. 19· Complete tone compensation and filter unit. The input and output voItages underlined are peak values
for full output from the main amplifier.

List of Components for Fig. 19.

L�ati!lg
0.25 �I n log.
Tolerance Rating

IW
R"
(V d.c.
47 kO
IW
R..
47 kO
Typ<> working) Tolerance
1<"
R..
Silvered mica 5%
3.31.0 5%
0.25 MO log.
do.
R..
5%
100 k n
do.
R" 5%
kO
do.
Ru 6.8
5%
10 kO
do.
Rn
5%
0.1 MO linear
do.

100 IW
R..
5%
kO
do.
R"
r.oo
12 20%
2.2 k O
Electrolytic
R..
0.1 MO
Paper

R..
R" 10% '50
OA7 Mn
Electrolytic

R..
10%
0,47 MO
R.,
R..
33 k n
100 kO
IW
IW
10%
Silvered mica
do.
do. or
1 1%
1%
1%

}
R62
1%
3.3 kO
do. matched
do. 1%

C
R� 1 1'.1 0 do. 1%
Rw 0.1 1\10 High. " %
0.1 MO
do. 1%
RM
R" stability 1%
''''
matched
50 kn
do.

R"
caroon 1%
lOO n r.oo
Electrolytic

All resistors may be 1\V rating, tolerance

do.
20% unless

eHa SO H a.t
otherwi${: sptlcified. Choke.
20 mA. Resistam:e about 1,500 O.
Rating
(V d.c. Mains Transformer.

C" 50 /AF
Type working) Tolerance Primary : 10·0-200-220·240 V, 50 cls.

C..
Electrolytic 12 Secondaries : 1. 325-0·325 V, 20 mA d.e.
450 2. 6.3 V, 0.6 A.
C"
8 pF Electrolytic
0.25 �·
Cro
Pa.per 500 20% 3. 6.3 V, 1.5 A.
150 pF ma.x. Proset
0.01 f'F 250
Ctt
0" Paper 20% Switche�.

C�
0.05 f'F do. 250 20 % S,. Singlc pole double throw.

Cu
1000 pF Silvorod mica 20% S. U{lublo pole double throw.
8,.
0.05 f!F Paper
50 pF Electrolytic 12 Single pole double throw.
C" 500 20% S,. 5 bank, 5 po�ition selector switch.

,8

Radio Feeder Un it
ADDITIONAL COIL DATA
The radio feeder unit described
on succeeding pages was desigoed
originally to provide high-quality
reception from medium-wave !ita­
lions and coil-winding data covered
a range of frequencies from 500 kc/s
to r.6Mc/s.
Since then there have been many
requests for guidance in the con·
COIL-WINDING DATA FOR THE LONG-WAVE RANGE
Wlndlng
Transformer No. of turns
Primary
Secondary
Aerial
330
Primary
Coupling
330
Secondary
Coils are wound with 40-42 s.w.g.,
d.s.c. copper wire.
To give the correct coefficient of
coupling the spacing between the
should be increased to 0.25ill. The
windings of the aerial transformer
disposition of the coupling trans·
former windings is unaltered.
When continuous tuning is to be
Tht WiIliamson Amplifier
THE WILLlAMSON
AMPLIFIER DESERVES
JOINTS SOLDERED WITH
One imperrectl y Jomt may
endanger th� successful assembly of the
(.!u puge 30 jor 9trlerlll detail.!) Willill mson Amplificr. Solder with
contains 3 cores of extra-.lctive, non­
Multicore and run no risks. Multicorc
and rdiable soldering without waste or
corrosive Ersin Flux ensuring speedy
struction of coils for the reception
t rouhle and guardnteeing that there are
no lengths of solder without flux. Correct
of the Droitwich transmitter on
:wo
proportions of both flux and solder are
kc/s, and the author has !Sup­
plied the following additional data
automatically applied. Fast-acting, fast­
for those who get a higher signal
holding Muhicore is used exclusively
strength for the RRC. Light Pro­
hy leading manufacturers of radio, T!V
gramme from the long-wave trans­
and electronic equipment. Make certain
mitter.
of a good job-with Mult;core.
'"I SllE 1 CARTON (shoWI! abol·e) has
beell (Iesiglled specifically for easy
Ilse. Simply pull out the length you
Inductance Coefficient CI6018 specijirotiQn (60/40
require.
(.... H) of coupl�
al/oy) is particularly recommended for
(apprOL)
the Wi/liomSOI! Amplifier
180 700 4 TIV SERVICE
0.3
RADIO
ENGINEER'S 1 1tl. REEL
2,000
For UIoCI whio;h dcmal>d
260 1,500
raor q...anll!� of solder.
0.6
Contain. approximately
2,000
167 feel of 18 S. W.G.5O/SO
Idlo), El'$in Mulliooft
------
SOlder.
ganged capacitor should be increased
used, the minimum capacitance of the
US;" MlIlticore Solder can he obloilled
mica capacitor across each secondary
by tbe addition of a JoopF silvered_
from radio shops el·ery.,.,·here. Size I
('orlon 5/- relail. I lb. reel 15/-.
winding of the transformers, giving a
MULTICORE SOLDERS LTD.
coverage of approximately 150-300
kc/so
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, HERTS (IOXMOQR MM)
For fixed tuning, the capacitors MULTICQRE WORKS, MAYUNDS AVENUE,
should be 300 pF.
29
 The Willialllson Amplifier

Design for a
Radio Feeder Unit
HE preceding articles in this offered as an indication of the

T
transmitters, and which desires
only to receive transmissions from general lines all which to proceed,
and is capable of being adapted to
series have described ampli­
fier, tone compensation and these by the simplest possible
gramophone pre-amplifier units means. individual requirements and con­
which are capable of driving a In order that the units described ditions.

Fig. 20, consists of an r.f. ampli­

loudspeaker Lrom the output of a
pick up or a radio receiver. The
design of a radio receiver which
would be suitable lor use under
the varied reception conditions
which exist in the populous parts
of the country, and which a t the
same time could be constructed
simply and with certainty of re­
sults, would be a difficult under­
In addi tion ,
taking. such
receiver would be unnecessarily
cornplex for the needs of tha t
in the series should form a com­
plete domestic sound installation.
it is proposed to outline the design
of a small two-stage receiver suit­
able for the reception of mediurn­
wave transmissions within the
primary service area. The type of
receiver to be described givessatis­
factory results where the spacing
between the carrier frequencies of
say 200 k c / s . Tt is not suitable
a the principal transmitters is high,
for use in districts where dosely­
The basic circuit, shown in
fier. transformer-coupled to a
negati ve-feedback detector.
cuit values for a number of alter­
Cir­
native bIlling arrangements are
given. Possibly the simplest
scheme. from the point of view of
construction, is to use a twin­
gallged capaci tor to cover the
range, although by this method it
is not easy to secure a uniformly
good performance at each cnd of

lives within the primary service exist , or where interference is

section of the community which spaced powerful transmissions the medium-wave band. Alter­
natively the receiver may be p re­
area of high-powered twin-wave severe. The receiver circuit is tuned, stations being selected by a

20. Circuit dia- I R.. + 150V

of 1ocal station '"
Fig.

�
gram
radio receiver. Posi_
I
'" I

r7...,
EF:W
tions of selector

t ning shown at X. Cn
oc
KTW61
I
switches for pre-set
u
. - .
-
-"
I -"

C"
I
I�
� I
T,
I�
\s;
R" R"
..
I

�
C ,.
T
,� c-

t
I
; R" R..
Coo
I
I CH R" Cn R" OUTPUT
'----
"--r- ,

I
Coo � RIl (Ill
i

Rating Type Rating (V d.c.

COMPONENT VALUES FOR CIRCUIT OF FIG_ 20

R" 0.[ 'l\H1

R" 0.1 Ma
working)

R., 330 a
jW See text

RM
O.lJ.lF Paper 25O
350
R.. 0.1 MO
1.5 kil O.II'F Pa.per
35.
R" IQ kO
O.IJ.lF Paper
450
nJl ] IOOpF
2 TV lI.il'lo' Electrolytic

R" Sil�-ered mica

47 kQ Silvered mica

..�
4.7 kO lOOpF
R" 22 kfl O.I,
IJ
J Paper 500
",.
All resistors may be ! W rating, tolerance
2.� MO

20 per cent unless otllcrwisc specified.

 The Williamson Amplifier

push-button or rotary switch. WINDING DATA FOR R.F. TRANSFORMERS

Tbe use of variable indudors in
this arrangement provides a simple
Coefficient
of coupling
method of achieving a uniform WindIng No. of turns Inductance
Transformer
selectivity and sensitivity over the (f.lH) (approx.)

35 30
range, with the disadvantage that
Prima.ry
provided for each st..1.tion to be
two coils or tuned circuits must be

Secon dary
Aeria.l 0.35
received. In the unlikely event of 95 lOO

Primary 60 80
serious thermal drift, correction is

easily applied by the use of nega­
tive temperature coefficient capa­
citors.
R. F. Transformers. - Winding
data are given to enable Lf. trans­
formers to be wound simply on
standard formers without the llse
of a wave-winding machine. Tbe
correct number of turns are pile­
wound in a random manner be­
tween thin Paxolin or cardboard
cheeks, which serve to guide and
support the edges of the winding.
This gives an approximation to
the performance of a wave-wound
coiL
The table gives winding data for
transformers to be used with a
twin-ganged capacitor with a per cent to b e made i n the induct­
capacitance swing of 485 pF with
t.rimmers, covering a Irequency
range of approximately 550-1,550
kc/so
When separately-switched tuned
transformers are to be llsed, the
values of secondary inductance
and tuning capacitance may be
read from the curve of Fig. 2 1
against transmitter frequency.
This curve has been cOTJJ.puted for
an L / e ratio of unity (L in ,..H,
C in pF), which is nearly opti ­
Secondary
Coupling
dimensions of the coil formers and
windings are shown in Fig. 23 .
\Vhen the capacitance is being
chosen, allowance should be made
Ior strays, which will probably be
about 25 pF. The values used
should therefore be less than those
indicated by this amount. In prac­
tice llie nearest standard value
should be chosen and allowance
made in the value of inductance.
Movement of the core will enable
a variation of approximately ± I 8
ance.
Construction.-In order to pre­
serve stability, precautions must
be observed when constructing the
receiver. The most likely cause
400
0 ..
0.65
95 100
.
. .
of instability is the presence of
undue st.ray capacitance between
the anode and control grid of V,..
The valve types used have an
anode-grid capacitance of less than
0.003 pF, and a layout should be
chosen which does not materially
increase this figure. The design ,
based on this value, has a factor
of safety of about 4.
Although
the valve is metallized, a screening
can may be necessary to reduce
leakage to the valve base . All
components in the grid circuit
should be kept above the chassis,
and all component.<; in the anode
circuit below the chassis. Where
components in t.he anode circuit,
or in the following grid circuit
/
1/

�M�:$�
mum. The number of turns
necessary to produce the required �
,
U
inductance with the formers and 1/
<.,..I::i ,,-
'"
dust-cores specified may then be
,
" I/"�f-f-
obtained from Fig. 22. The .,. /;0
.0
,�
'
0
40'
1+ '
.
'"
-

1/
V-
l.-'V-1/I/
10 0
,
,
t-

200 ,

i
I
100 0 I
", '.000 70 " ' " "' 12' '" 140

fREQUENCY (k�IS) NuMBER Of TURN'>

Fig. 21. Curve relating tuned circuit parameters Fig. 22. Curve relating inductance and num.
and resonance frequency. bee of turns fOf windings discussed in teat.

3'
 The Willi_mlon Amplifier

must be brought ablJve the chassis.

as is the case when tuning is by
Call FOFlHE.RS

means of a. ganged capacitor. they

I, ,-:=::�-I"
must b e screened carefully from
the aerial circuits. Figs. 24 and
25 show suggested layouts for con­

1° 0'3"
tinuously variable and switched
�

I_L L
SLOTS CUT WITH
tuning arrangements.

! i
,
THIN SAW The Detector.-To give low
,
to work at a fairly high signal
distortion, the detector I'equires
L.. <
,__
_ _
.
.
,, .

---, level-say 5V r.m.S. output. As

MATERIAL; O ' O I � BAKElIZfO fABRIC
" the receiver is intended to feed the
OR PAXOllN tone compensation unit, which
requires an input of only 200 mV
peak, the output is taken from a
AERIAL TRANSFORMER COUPLING TRANSfORMER tapping on the detector load resis­
tance. This greatly reduces the

enables it to handle high modula­

a.c. loading on the detector and

tion levels without distortion.

SEC. Alignment Procedure.-(l) Set
SEC.
ganged capacitor at a position
PR I.
PRI. about five degrees from the mini­
mum capacitance cnd, and adjust
trimmers for maximum output
from the high-frequency Third
Programme.

OATA FOR FIXED TUNING

(2) Set capacitor about twenty
degrees from maximum capaci­
PRIMARY WINDIN(;. (OIR£O URI.U PRIMARY WINDING. tance position and adjust dust­

- --- I 'I,.
CONNECTION )
'fI NUMBER Of SECONDARY TURNS lh NUMBER or SECONDARY 'UA�S
cores for maximum out­

e-l'- �
srCONDARY WINDING. SEE TEXT
put from the low-fre­
PRIMARY WINDING. (lOn fEEDER) quency Third Pro-
'hv Nur'I8ER OF SECONOARY TURNS gramme.
-----

"'"" "" IIl0C�

(3) Repeat this pro­
SECONDARY WIMOIN(;. SE[ TEXT
cess until both stations
are accurately tuned.
Fig. 23. Formers are standard P o w e r Supplies.­
moulded type, fitted with a-mm The receiver is intended
threaded iron-dust cores_ All coils
are wound with Litz wire consisting
of 7-9 strands of 45-48 s.w.g. Fig. 25. Plan
enamelled copper wire. view of top
o f chassis.
Swi tched
model
.

to bc Sllpplied from the

s'f;------->j
pre-amplifier power

adequate to
supply. The decoupling
is not

.
enable it to be fed from the main
amplifier supply.

llUMltllUM OR COPPH 5tR£{H

Acknowledgment. - The writer

G
is indebted to Mr. A . T. Shepherd
EXTENOING BELOW CH,t.,SSIS
>,
��::::�: �q._C__''__
O -I::ll::ji �3l:ll/CUTDUT tance in the compilation of data
of Fcrranti, Ltd" for his assis­
Cn AND llf: ABO�E CHASSIS 'oIITH
4'

�
fOil GANGrD CAPACIT()�

.0
for these notes .

CO .. . ""'" ,'I; ""

L. l��:::::::�===n�----j�J ��g. 24· This di�ram

.ows a p,an V1ew 0f
,..
top of chassis_

3'
 the 3C67A
High quality
output
T RANSFORMER
It gives us great pleasure to announce OUT latest OU1 u, we know, unique and permits of seven different
transformer for the " Williamso n " amplifier. • he F secondary impedances with virtually no change in
result of some painstaking research, this instrument leakage reactane<: as against thc normal four obtained

10 the 3C67A these impedances are 0.450, 1.8n,

represents quite a considerable advance on our 2836R. with CUSlOmary arrangements of eight sections.
Typical technical details are as follows :

Pritnary
40, 70, 110, 16n and 300. Onc additional impcd­

D.e. Resistance 900

ance-220----can be obtained if required with an
·f 900. increase in leakage reactance of about 10 per cent.

Frequency Response
Incremental inductance taken at ') v. 50 1'.'5" 100 hys.
minimum.

Leakage reaClance tested at I v. 800 ds. :

Nominal impedance 10,0000 centre tapped. With no feedhack and assuming a generator impedance

Whole Pdmarr to the secondary connected for JOn

of 2,5000 the frequency response, even at incremental
levels, is virtually fiat (0.25 d.b.) from 12� c.'s. to
and short-cm�uited, 16 m 'Hys. Insertion loss 25 kc s. There is a smooth high Irequency " roll
0.5 d.h. (6i per cent.). off" with no objectionable resonances.

Power handling capacity

Half primary to the 300 secondary, 8 m 'liys.
!-Ialf primary to the other half short-circuited,
17 m,lHys. At 15 watts at 121 e{s., the core material is being

Secondary by the iron at this frcquency and power level w;lho1/t

worked at 10,000 gauss aod the distortion intmduced

Considerable thought has been given to the question
of secondary impedances, and we havc decidcd that,
for Loudspeaker matching, the most useful range is
r
givcn by a basic im cdancc of 0.450.
The arrangcmcnt 0 secondary sections is, so far as
an)' feedback should not exceed 2.5 per cent.
At 25 � the transformer will handle 60 watts with
half this distortion, and in either case quite a modest
amount of feedback will reduce the distortion to
negligible. proportions.

..

U outstanding results " of his Wireless World artieles, the output trans­
" . . . As Mr. Williamson himself observes in one

former is probably the most critical component

in a high-fidelity amplifier. Your transformer
performs this exacting duty with full honours,
and I shall always recommend its use to anyone
undertaking construction of a " Williamson."
With many thanks for a first-class job."

E. L. J., Swindon.

N U RSTEED ROAD DEVIZES WILTS

Telephone Devizes 536

33
 The WilIiamson Amplifier
Replies to Queries
HE
T
series of articles recently published on the
High-Quality Amplifier has aroused consider­
able interest and given rise to correspondence.
It is hoped that these notes, whieh deal with
matters of general interest ansing from the corres­
pondence, may he of assistance to readers who have
similar difficulties.
Valvcs.-There is no exact equivalent for the
Osram type KT66, and its use is recommended where
possible. When the equipment is to be used over­
seas, the KT66 may be difficult to obtain, and 6L6
glass and metal types may be regarded as direct
and screen dissipation should be reduced from 25 W
replacements, with the proviso that the total anode
to 21.5 \V by reducing the total current from 125 mA
to llamA by adjustment of R". The use of these
valves with reduced rating entails Cl. slight reduction
the full rating of 25 W, with modifications to the
of the maximum output. The 807 may be used at
valve connections.
Since the articles were written, a modification of
the EF37 has appeared under the nUIi1bcr EF37A.
freedom from hum, and its use may be advantageous
This has improved heater construction giving greater
for VI and V,.,
No other changes in valve types can be recom­
mended, as their use would involve radical redesign.
Output Transfonner.-Vvhen assembling the core
that the edges of the T and U laminations butt to­
of the transformer, care should be taken to ensure
gether. The magnetic properties of the core are de­
pendent upon careful assembly and tight clamping.
Static Balancing.-The method of balancing the
standing currents in the output valves, which was
suggested in the article in the August, 1949, issue, is
dependent for its success on close matching of the
d.c, resistances of the halves of the output trans­
former primary. Nominally the sections are identi­
cal, and when carefully machine-wound from the
same reel of wire, the I"esistances should not differ
materially. It is possible, howeve1, due to varia­
tions in wire diameter and insulation thickness, for
in extreme cases, 10 per cent, Should this occur, a
the resistances to differ by up to S per cent and even,
compensating resistor should be added in series with
the low-resistance side in order to equalize the resist­
ances, and the meter connected across the equalized
sections.
Other more direct methods may, of course, be used
3rd Edition. Compiled by the staff of WIRELESS WORLD. Gives the
RADIO VALVE main characteristics and base connections of over 2,000 types of British
and American radio valves, and over ISO cathode-ray tubes. These arc
DATA mended by the makers. 80 pp. 3s. 6d. net. By post 3s. IOd.
further classified into obsolete, replacement or current types as recom­
Characteristics of 2,000 Receiving
ILIFFE & SONS LTD., DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD ST., LONDON, S.E.t,
Valves and C.R. Tubes
Raised by Constructors
to adjust the anode currents to equality, but unless
the transf0n:ter has a split primary winding they
.
are Inconvement, and great care should be taken to
ensure that the insertion of instruments does not
�ause oscillation which could give misleading read­
mgs.
Construction.-There is little to add to the con­
structional data on the main amplifier given in the
August, 1949, issue, except perhaps to explain that
the purpose of the sub-chassis screen, shown in Fig 3
(see page IS), is to prevent feedback from the anode
connections of the output valves to the input of the
amplifier, It should extend downwards to the full
depth of the chassis.
The method of construction of the preamplifier
and tone-compensation units will usuaUy be adapted
to individual circumstances. Onc suggested method
?f construction for the preamplifier circuit of Fig. I S
I S to use a shallow chassis about 9in x 3in x lino The
valves and electrolytic capacitors are mounted in a
group along the centre of this chassis, and the other
components mounted vertically above the chassis on
tag strips arranged on each side of the central group.
The connections to the valveholde!'s are taken
through slots cut in the top of the chassis. The
input transformer should be mounted on the top of
� he chassis at one end. With the sizes given, there
IS ample room for a screened component of dimen­
sions up to 3in x 3in x 'Zin. The whole unit should
be fitted with screening covers, and mounted on the
underside of the motorboard as close as possible to
the pickup.
The tone compensation unit of Fig. 19 may be
constructed on orthodox lines, the only essential being
to provide sufficient frontal area to accommodate
seven controls. Grid leads should be kept short to
avoid hum pick-up. The blank valveholder tenninals
(pin 6) should not be used as anchors for the leads
to the top-cap grids. The power supply components
can, with advantage, be assembled on a separate
chassis,
Conc1usion.-The circuits published i n the series
have been evolved over a. considerable period of time
and are capable of giving a. very high standard of
performance . Requests have been received for data
on modifications, but as it is rarely possible to
determine the full effect of these without carrying
out tests, in general, no such data ean be supplied
by the writer,-
• Or. fn' that matl�r. by Wirel.n lVaT/d.-Er>.
Obtaillable from all booksellers or direct from :
34
 The WilliamsoQ Amplifier

Modifications for High-impedance

Pickups and Long-playing Records
HE
T
introduction of long-playing records in Great
Britain, after the public..1.tion in November,
1949. of gramophone pre-amplifier circuits for
the " High Quality Amplifier " which were suitable
only for the 78-r.p.m. standards. has made it nece s­
sary to revi5e these designs .
means that the first stages of the pre-amplifier m ust
be capable of handling occasional hig�-frequel�cy
peaks which arc greater than those expenenced With
standard records. unless the pick-up is a constant
amplitude one, or its output at high frequencies i s
attenuated before reach ing the pre amplifier.
·

The principle of recording with a rising frequency The original designs of pre-amplifler employed

hence are particularly suitable for a wide range of

characteristic at high frequencies and reproducing
with a correspondingly falling characteristic. in order
to effect a reduction in the level of surface-noise from
the material, is a well-established and useful one. In
the case of long-playing records it results, in conjunc­
tion with the u s e of a homogeneous plastic for the
record material, in an almost silent background .
There arc. however. dangers attendant upon its
use. The scheme is based on the hypothesis that the
energy level of music decreases with increase of fre­
quency above about 500 c J s. Thus it should be pos­
sible steadily to increase the gain of the recording
channel above this frequency. This appears particu­
larly attractive at first sight. since with the n ormally
negative-feedback methods of compensation, and
inputs. However, pickups are available wilh s�ch a
.
wide variety of output levels that no Single ClrcUlt
.
will cope adequately with them , and external attenu­
atars may have to he used.
Modifications.-Dealing first with the single-valve
pre-amplifier (original circuit, Fig . 13. p. 25), the
revised circuit of Fig. 27 shows the modifications
necessary to provide alternative standard and long­
playing characteristics. To simplify the switching,
by using a single-pole challgeover switch, the capa­
citor C 1 . i s left permanently in circuit, giving a
Decca. 78_Lp.m. character stic in the " 78 " position .
i

used constant-velocity characteristic the recorded am­
plitude for a constant recording level i s inversely
proportional to frequency and is therefore very small
at high frequencies.
Initially. a rising frequency response characteri stic
producing practically constant amplitude at constant
level was used, the energy level distribution being
relied upon to restrict the amplitude at high frequen .
cies. The effect of this was, in practice, to cancel the
improvement in tracing, which the small-groove
system offered, by producing, at high frequencies and
high orchestral levels. recorded waveforms with radii
of curvature too small to be traced accurately. The
resulting distortion manifested itself as a tearing
sollnd superimposed on the full orchestra.
There is additional evidence to suggest that the
Alternatively, Cl_, may be removed to give the KM.I.
characteristic. In either case, correction for the
other 78-Lp.m. characteristic may be made by means
o[ the treble control on the tone compensation unit .
The advantage of this simplified switching i s that
it becomes practicabl e to gang the switch to the
pensation. H this arrangement is not desired, a two­
motor spccd·change control to give automatic com­
pole multi-position switch may be used, to give three
or more combinations. as in Fig. 28.
It should be noted that the position of Cl6 has been
altered. so that the whole of the feedback netwcrk is
at earth potential. This avoids switching transients
wh ich would otherwise occur, due to charging and
discharging of capacitors as the switch i s operated .
A small capacitor, C,;, has been connected across

demon strable that it break s down when such per­

original hypothe sis required revision, since it is
cussion instruments as cymbals and castanets are COII­
sidered, particularly when the frequency range is
wide. Indeed, the peak power level required to re­
produce cymbals exceeds that normally required at
the input tra.nsformer secondary. This is to prevent
any tendency to instability or peaking at high fre-
Fig. 26. Recording characteristic used for current Decca
long-playing records.

"'20
medium frequencies.
This early experi ence has led to
the adoption of a characteristic �
which is a better compromise
-
+I0 - v
between these conflicting factors t:
and gives much more satisfactory g 0
�
I
:;l
results in practice. Fig. 26 shows

� -I
,
0
the provisional recording charac-
--- -

� I
teristic now in use by the Decca
Record Company for L.P. - I
-20
records. The amount of treble
0 0 0 0

§
boost is lower than the theoreti­
g-
N

rREQUENCY
cal optimum, but the use of even o

this amount of compensation ( cfo ) N

35
 * * * * * *

ADVANCED THEORY OF WAVEGUIDES By RADIO INTERFERENCE SUPPRESSION : AS

L. Lewin. Sets out the various methods that have AI'PLIED TO RADIO AND TELEVISION RECEPTION. 2nd
been found successful in treating the types of Edition. By G. L Stephens, A.M.I.E.E. Explains
problems arising in waveguide work. the principles of suppression technique as applied to
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Editor : F. Langford�Smith, B.se., B.E., Senior
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S H O R T-WAVE R A D I O AND T H E
prehensive reference book, the wurk of 10 authors
and 23 collaborating engineers. Intended especially Shows how existing ionospheric data can be applied
for those interested in the design and application of to everyday problems ofshon-wave transmission and
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ls. lit!. By post Is. 2d.

W I R E LESS DIRECTION FINDING 4th

RADIO DATA C H ARTS 5th Edition. By (Revised) Edition. By R. Keen, B.BNG. (HONS.),
R. T. Beatty, M.A., B.E., D.se. Revised by J. McG. A.M.I.E.E. Treats the subject historically, descrip­
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RADIO LABORATORY HANDBOOK 5th W I R E LESS SERVICING MANUAL 8th

Edition. By M. G. Scroggie, B.SC., M.U:.E. Edition. By W. T. Cocking, M.I.E.E. A reliable
Describes methods of carrying out tests and measure­ guide for both amateur and professional. Describes
ments, using either commercial instruments or testing methods and apparatus and the proces s of
improvised equipment. deducing and remedying defects.
155. net. By post 15s. 5d. 12s. 6d. net. By post 12s. l Id.

Obtainable from all booksellers or direct by post from the

address below. Complete list of titles sent on application.

ILIFFE & SONS LTD., DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD ST., LONDON, S.E.I

36
 The Witliamson Amp li fier

to the usc of a relay in place of the selector switch.

quencies, caused by the presence in the feedback loop a switch inaccessibLe, consideration should be gi\'cn
of the stray secondary reactances of the transformer.
The necessity for this capacitor and its minimum rather than the use of extension Leads. This has the
value will vary with the individual transformers. Its additional advantage that it could easily be operated

value sbould be kept ali lilllall as possible, consistent
with stability.
Modifications to the three-stage high-pass prealll­
plifier (original circuit Fig. 15, p . 26) are on the samc
lines, and Fig. 29 shows the revised circuit.
With these pre-amplifier circuits, the wiring to the
selector switch must be kept short. and the switch
should. if possible. be mounted on the pre-amplifier.
Should the position of the pre-amplifier render suc:h
from the speed-change lever by means of a mino·
switch or from the additional switched pin which is
a feature of some pickups with interchangeable heads.
Pickups without Transformers_-A number of pkk·
tipS are available which do not normally require a
"transformer. It is possible to use the majority of
these with the prc-amplifier circuits. by interp:Hing a
suitable 1 : 1 transformer. In other cases. when thc
connecting leads an: short. it may be practicable to
connect the pickup directly in place of
the transformer seeondary. The limit·
)I'V ing factor will be the capacitance

R"
between the leads and their screening.
which will be shunted across R or
Ru' and which, if sufficiently l�ge.
would upset the treble compensatiotl.

R" shoul not be all owed. to exceed 50 pF.

The value of this stray capacitance

R,,: FC�.,.. �
and If e'l or CU IS switched out.
should be compensatod by a capacit­

r�,
ance of one tenth of its value in
C"
Cn
�arallel with Rn or R", t o give a

t"'- hnear frequency-response character­

� I 'm:,':" �5,
-
."

" �i
istic at high frequencies.
.' Resistors R" and R�. must he

jl[ �R"
o.
-"
-
o·
Coo:
R" R"

[C"
--
o·
.- Left : Fie. �7. Simple two.position twitch­
o·
I-
-'
L..- r o� .
Ine In smtle-volve pre-omplifier (or

� R" Ht-r.p.m. L.P. records.

" playin, Decca l8-r.p.m. standord and
Rn ,C R ,.
-

C,
Comf't;nsatian
; (or !he E..M.I. 7B-r.p_m. stondard choroc­
terlsric should be opplied seporotely by the
treble tone control.

Below : FI.e. 28. Alternoti'le circuit (applic­

List of Components for Fig. 27 able to F'es. 27, 29 ona 30) with three­

Decco 33!. Decca 7B ond E..M./. 78-r.p.m.

Type poSition switch eMng compensation (or
Rating Tolerance
R" Value to suit High-stability
transrormer carbon recording characteristi".
R" O.IMn do. IW C"OR Cu
-f
R" 0.68MCl do. jW
R" 0.22Mn do. IW
R" 47kn do. IW
R32 4.7kn do. l·sMn : Q-004.uF
'·00IS/--I-F
do. DE':�/_
R" 0.22Mn Composition 10%

do.

78?,
R�4 22kO 10%
:n ' )
14 [.H.J.
R" 2.2Mn
All resistors may � j W rating, tolerance 20% unless
OIherwise specified.
Rating

Rn
CV d_c.
Type working) Tolerance

"11
100PF R"
"
C" 0.5f'F Paper 250
IOOpF
C" 5Of'F Electrolytic 12
C" 16f'F do. 450
C" 1000F Silvered mica 250 10%

R,.
C" O.05f'F Paper 500
C" 1�5OpF Silvered mica 250
Coo 2500pF do.
R,.
250 10%
do.
"
C" 1500pF 250 10%
Coo 300pF do. 250 10%
S, Single-pole changeover switch

'7
 HANNEY OF BATH
W l lLlAMSON AMPLIFIER C O M P O N ENTS
fir. 1'.1 15 • fo.mer., cholc.., and ouput tran,form ..ro
Small quantiti". of WODEN main. tran.· PARTRIDGE type WWFB/O/1.7

117 0
1 2 1 % .ilye. mira condensers for

are available from time to time, as de­

output tran.formers unpotted.

fi , . 19 7 • 20
7 5% ,ilver mica condensers for includi", packin,

" ,
.. ... .. . . . . . . . . . . tailed in our current list lupplement.
25 Resistors lnd pOts for William . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Acos GP pick"p', ...ndard or

•on main amplif,er " . " .

LP

• • £9 19 •
T.C.C. .25 mfd. metal packs Hnds only, sc�ndard Or LP....... .

" . ' "

£1 J -4
9 Rui.torl lor fig. I] (co�plin, conden.ers for n,. I ) B.S.R. type GU-4 ,ram_motors ..

" . T.C.C. .05

23 R".istors for fir. 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . .. ndt

15 • (couplOn, cond"Mer. for n,. I ) B.S.R. type M U I O 2 .peed moto.. U I� 4

B.S.R. type M U I 4 ] speed motors
22 Resi.tor. and potslor fig. 19. . mId. metalmitu

,
6 Condens"., for "I. 13 ..
1 5 Condensers for f" . 15........ . COLLARO type ]RC521 luto_
KT 66
"
..
each

" , 2 Hi_Fi cry....l he.d,.... £18 1� 8

.
clud,n, tax
valv�., motchcd p�ir, in- chan,er., 3 opeed unmixed, with
33 Condenser. for fi,. 19 ..
•
7 Conden.er< for fir. 20 (le. . C68
....
. . . p" r

(includins tUt)
10 Resistors for fi,. 20. . . •

'"
EF37A valve. (EF37 now ob.olete)
chan,erl. as .bove but play•
.
COLLARO type 3RC511 auto-

£11 " J
• nden) " .
.
. .. . . . . . . . . .each
"
,
Ma,ns <ranslormer <0 Jpecincnion 10 and 11 inch record. MIXED

" .
Match�d p.i.oH7 K lwut rcsinars

, .
10 "cnry 150 mA choke to .p"ci­

n 6
Matched pair of 21K It Wltt CHANCERY LP utuhment, (on­

6 position ....itch. . • •
ncuion

" .
re.istor. vert. 78 r.p.m. motor to LP in a

S.P.D.T. ,,,nuin,, OAK .witche.... , . £10 S 6

30 "enry 20 mA choke to .peci- maner of ucond.
5 Sank
..•.....•...........•..•......

• • GOODMANS AUDIOM 600pnkers £8 11 •

lieuion

by ELSTONE (3.6 o"m ..,con_

GOODMANSAXIOM 150 'peakers

£8 5 0
William.on OUtput tran,former.

, . .. .
n.p.D.T. Icnuin. OAK Iwitch• •_ _
Relian"," 100 ohm potf!ntiometers dary) . ............ . ROLA G l l .pnkerl. . . . ... . .

Tile obo e i. on
v ly 0 .e/ection of our lor,e nod., ••nd 6<1. sto mp now for our currenl ,i.1 ond ."pp/em..nt,
end .aye you"e/f time end trouble,

L. F. II A N N E Y
77 LOWER BRISTOL ROAD, BATH
Tele p hone : 38 1 1

RADIO DE S IG N E R'S HAN D BOOK

A compreh�nsivc:: rdc::rc::ncc::, the work of
10 amhors and 23 colbborating cnglllcers

Previous editions of Radio Designer'sHandbook especially interested in the design and appli­
have achieved exceptional success, many cation of radio receivers or audio amplifiers ;
thousands of copies of this standard reference it contains an enormous amount of data
work having been sold In all parts of the which has been made readily accessible by
world. The book deals with general theory, means of a fully-detailed list of contents
components, testing and design. The new and a comprehensive index,
edition is more than four times as large as
the previous ,·olume, and contains work The main subjects ar'"' valves and valve
hitherto unpublished. It is the work of ten testing, general theory
and COmponents, audio
authors and twenty-three collaborating en­ frequencies, radio
frequencies, power supplies,
gmeers, under the editorship of F. Langford­ design of complete A-M and F-M receivers,
Smith. The work is intended for those and reference data.

Publication May, 1953. 42s. net. By post 43s. 6d.

Obtainable from all booksellers or direct by post from the address below.

JLlFFE & SONS LTD., DORSET HOUSE, S T A J\·f F O R D ST., LONDON S.E.l
 The Williamson Amplifier

retained to provide a conducting path to the valve
grid when the pickup heads are being interchanged .
There may be cases, where one side of the input
must be earthed, in which it is impracticable to utilize
the pre-amplifiers in this way. In tbis event the
circuit may be modified as shown in Fig. 30. This
ci«:uit applies to both prc-amplifiers. In it. the trans­
formcr had been replaced by a resistive network R"",
Ra,' mixing the input and feedback voltages.
of Fig . 14, p. 25. Thi 5 circuit is suitable for most
moving-iron va.riable-reluctance pickups. and can be
used w ith piezoelectric pi ckups which havc been
loaded to give an output proporti onal to recorded
veloc ity .
be restricted to :.IoomV in the case
Danger of Overloading.-The input to the prc­
amplifiers 5hould
of the single-stage circuits and 50 mV for the three­
stage circuit, and if necessary a potential divider

0 . 1 MD, alld its voltage gain at I.OOO C / S is 9.

The input resistace of this circuit is approximately
The
frequency-response curve is almost identical with that
Below ; fig. 29. Revised three-stage pre-ampli(ier circuit with
high-pass (ilter, fO play Decca 33t- and lB-r.p.m. records.
should be used.
Piczoelec::tric Pickups.-Lightweight piezoeleclric
pickups have recently become popular, particularly
for L.P. recordings . Since these give a rel atively h igh
output, no pre-amplifier is necessary and any correc­
tion required may be achieved by means of simpl e

,.. '"
"'"

' .. c"
'"
'.. c"
'. '..
IC.:,1 .�,; �!!r
r ' [(." '
�:. �:.
.

Coo
. .

c.. ' .. ,; ,;,

. ..

t'-,'� ,' s•
'"
'.. f
"

O(ctIAI�:' c..'
r!& c"

�'"
�
"-'"
c.. ' : ' :' � : ® L�:'
c"
" .. ,..
' '
.

rc" "

''''''
'..
ic.�· f '- '.. c" ' : ' "
'.
.
'..
i!
Component Va)ues for Circuit of Fig. 29
Type Rating Tolerance Rating
R" Value to suit High-stability (V d.c.
Transfonner ""'oon Type working) Tolerance
Paper
Electrolytic
R.. O.IMO do. !W 20% C," O.5p.F 250 200;.,
R" O.68MO do. jW 20 % C" 50p.F 12
Rn O.22MO do. !W 20% Cb2 1 6p.F do. 450
R" 4.7kO do. 20% C�3 O.02p.F Paper 350 1 O '}(,
R" O.22MO Composition 10% CM, lOOpF Silvered mica 350 10%
R.. 20kO* do. Coo O.5" F Paper 250 20 %
R" 22kO High-stability IW 20 % C" 50pF ElccU"olytic 12
carbon Cos O.01,..F Silvered mica 350 1 %
R.. O.22MO: Composition 10% oc matched
R" O.20M!l* do. Coo O.2Sp.F Paper 500 20 %
R" 4.7M!l do. '"
5 " COO 5000pF Silvered 350 1 %
R.. 1.0MO do. jW 20 % oc matched

10 ��
R" O.22Mn do. ,W 20% C" SOOOpF do. 350 do.

20 ��
R" 2.2kO do, 20% C62 7000pF do. 350
R" 2.oMO High-stability 1 % C" O.5p.F Papcr 500
carbon or matched CH 1 6,..F Electrolytic 450

do.
Rn 2.0Mn do. do. C" 10-SOpF Silvered mica 250
R,. l.OMD do. C" O.lp.F Paper 500
R" lOMQ Composition 5% C" 2500pF Silvered mica 250 10 %
R" 47kO do. 10% C" 1500pF do. 250 10%
R" lkn do. 20 % Coo 300pF do. 250 10%
R" 47kfl. do. IW 20% S, Single-pole changeover SWilCh.
R" 0.22Mn do. 20%
R" lOkO do, IW 20 %
R.. 2.2MQ do. 20 %
• All resistors may be l W rating, except where otherwise stated.
May require adjusuncnt.

39
 The WiJliamson Amplifier

F",g. JO M0difi�d input cir- RC networks, details of which have alre3.dy been
cuit for use without tran, . published. '
former when °"' Checking the Pre·amplifiers.-When a pre·a.mpli·
side of the pick"P

its response curve over the audible frequency range

[Jer has been constructed, it is advisable to measure
must be earthed.

and beyond, in ordcr to ensure that nothing is amiss.

I
I
This is particularly so in the case of the three·stage

' .. (t- I pre-amplifier.

To facilitate this measurement the networks of Figs.
JI and 32 have been devised.
loo kfi -.....---
- -- r These circuits, when
fed with constant-voltage variable·frequency input,

.�
�
I 1
R"
o"OO6fLf

IOOkn
"CKUr O·03,uF
101t0

I I
".uT

mn
;
TAP AT RESISTANCE EOUAL TO
IMPEDANCE Of PICKUP IF
WER THAN llOn
INPUT
""n
(CONSUNT VOLTAGE)

t/OUTPUT TO
PRE-AMPLlFIER

C·OOSfLF (DISCONNECT FOA EM.l CHARACTEFIISTIC)

I
Fig. 32. Simulator for Decco 33t r.p.m. L.P. characterisric.

/0'<101
produce outputs which are, respectively, replicas of
TAP AT RESISTANCE EQUAL TO the standard and L.P. characteristics.

THAN 1·110.0
IMPEOAtlC< OF PICKUP IF To test a. pre-a.mplifier, the appropriate network
should be connected between an oscillator and the
INPUT pre-amplifler input. The output from the pre-ampli­
(COIo"iTANT VOLTA(",[)
::;-- OUTPUT TO
fier for a. constant voltage to the network should then
follow the response curve already published for the
PRE -AMPLIfiER appropriate circuit (Figs. 14 and n , pp. 25 and :;q ) .
Acknowledgment.-The writer i s indebted to Decca
for information a.bout their recording characteristic.

, Wen and Kelly, " PicJmp Ciceuiu," WiT..l.... War/d,

November. 1950. pp. 386-391.
Fig. 3 / .Simulator for Deaa and E.M.I. 78-r.p.m. recording Input
characteristics.

1'",lIed in Englalld by ('"uTI""all I'TC$$ Lld., Pa,i. Ga"fell. Lum/VII, 5.f..1. Ll00t-nR!,;l�l� KS
 GOODSELL
-- .....
�

*
WILLI A M S O N HIGH - FI D E LI T Y AMPLIFIERS

The Goodsell version of the World famous WHliamson Amplifier is to full specification,
laboratory bullt and tested.
All components are adequately rated to ensure long life and trouble free operation.
I
t
:
* Fully troplcalrzed version. Type G W r 8/C is available for use overseas.

* All models have separate power supply i n corporated on the same chassis for use with
multi-stage pre-ampllfiers, tape pre-ampllfiers and tuner units. �

�
i

�
I
A laboratory report of i WHUamson Amplifier, our
:
I
type GWr9/C, which w;as submitted to Intermod".
I.H. Distortion Power Output Frequeney
I
lation tesu. The results using an
Intermodulation DiUortion Meter and
Altee lanCing
Boonto" Seat
Ratio I : " �

!
O.l�
Frequency Oscill...tor ...re given. 10 & 2,000 c/•.
2% 1 5 watts
The report on the Goodsell pre·...mplifier showed it 10 wattS 10 & 2,000 eis,
to be ... compar.able unit With s(mUar figures. 0.900 1 5 Wiltts .00 & 2,000 els.
Type GWIB (standard model) Pr(ce Ul ; 5 : 0 0.2% 1 0 watts 100 & 2,000 e's.
Type GWrB;C (as IUu.tr...ted) Price £J6 : 0 : 0 I
I
P R E -A M P L I F I E R TONE CONTROL U N I TS
Multi.$tage, low noise tone eontrol units with radio input and gramophone pre·ampHfiBr. Equalization for micro­
:
!
groove and stand...rd recording eharacterinics, 5 �sition .teep cut low.pu. filter and cathode follower out.put.
feedback over every suge ensures negti,ible distortion.
Type PFA with equalization for British and American recording characteristics and 5 mv sen,ltivlty on
LP and 7B. Price m : 10 : 0
Type FUTC with LP ...nd 78 equalization ...nd 1 5 mv sensitivity. Price ll2 : 12: 0
I

MANUFACT URED BY_ :

j
GOODSELL LTD., 40, GARD N E R STRE ET, B R I G HTON, 1 I
f Phone: Brighton 167J5 •
i I
........... - ------ ...... --------_. _ ----- _ _ .- ----,� �
--- ---_. -.....
 VALVES
fo r t h e L.63

W I LLIAM S O N
KT.66

AMP IFIER
The following Osram valves are specified :
L.63. *8.65. KT.66. U.52.

Use of KT.66 is essential to obtain optimum

perfonnance of this equipment.
The characteristics of KT.66 and 6L6G are
not identica1.
Circuit information on a Quality Amplifier
for DC/AC operation may be obtained from
8.65
the Osram Valves & Electronic Dept., Magnet
House, Kingsway, W.C.2.

dOl/ble triade
* B.G:j as altemarive
for any two LJjJ type.
U.52

THE GENERAL ELECTRIC CO.• LTD., MAGNET HOUSE, K!NG5WAY, W.C.2